NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's lacrosse team hung tough all game but couldn't overcome #11/#17 Middlebury College on Saturday afternoon, falling by a 10-9 final in its NESCAC opener at a windy and cold Silfen Field.

Russell Thorndike (Brookline, Mass.) netted a hat trick and added a pair of assists to lead the Panthers, who entered the game ranked in both the latest USA Lacrosse Magazine and USILA Coaches polls. Jared Rainville (Watertown, Conn.) paced Conn with three goals and two helpers, and Jack Tenzer (Charlotte, N.C.) and Bobby Chang (South Salem, N.Y.) chipped in a pair of goals apiece.

Middlebury jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening minutes and expanded the margin to 6-2 by the 10:38 mark of the second quarter. Thorndike contributed all three of his goals during the stretch, and the Panthers looked poised to run away with the game.

The Camels had other ideas, getting back on track with four straight goals over a seven-minute stretch to even the score. Tenzer provided the spark with his first tally of the day, beating the goalie five-hole with a shot from the point. Less than three minutes later, JJ Ford (Clinton, Conn.) used a nifty spin move to free up space before sniping the top-left corner to cut the deficit in half. Tenzer added another tally at the 2:22 mark, and Chang completed the comeback with a goal into the lower-left corner off a feed from Rainville. 

The Panthers responded with a goal in the final seconds of the half to lead 7-6 at the break. Middlebury added two more scores in the opening 5:08 of the third period to bump its lead back to three at 9-6.

Conn closed the gap to 9-8 by the end of the quarter thanks to goals from Aidan McAvoy (Charlotte, N.C.) and Rainville, both of which came on individual efforts. Middlebury tacked on its final tally with 9:34 left in the fourth, giving the visitors a two-goal cushion that proved to be invaluable.

Neither team scored over the next eight minutes, with the Panthers earning possessions and then running down the shot clock. Goalie Will Rice (New Rochelle, N.Y.) gave the Camels a fighting chance, making six of his season-high 14 saves in the fourth quarter to keep it close. 

Conn finally broke through with 1:28 left to cut the deficit to 10-9. Rainville took a pass behind the cage and edged around the corner, notching his third goal of the game with a jump shot that slipped under the crossbar.

On the ensuing face-off, a Middlebury foul gave the Camels possession and a 30-second extra-man opportunity. While the penalty didn't yield a shot on goal, Conn kept the ball and ultimately took a timeout. Following the break, the hosts were denied a final shot at tying the game when Luke Simpson (Ridgewood, N.J.) tipped a pass from behind the net, setting off a wild scrum for the loose ball that ended with the final horn. 

Jack Venturelli (Duxbury, Mass.) had a strong game on the defensive end for the Camels, finishing with a game-high four caused turnovers to go with five ground balls.

Conn College (1-2 overall, 0-1 NESCAC) will next host MIT on Tuesday, March 14 at 5:00 p.m.