Middlebury, VT – The Vassar College Men's Soccer team mounted a furious second-half comeback to knot the score at 2-2, but saw Middlebury score twice in the final six minutes as the Brewers dropped their non-conference finale to the Panthers, 4-2.
Diego Pastor-Valverde (Durham, NC) and
Arden Tobolski (Chapel Hill, NC) scored second half goals and senior goalkeeper
Patrick Gale (San Antonio, TX) made a career-high six saves.
Vassar falls to 7-4-3 overall with Wednesday's loss while Middlebury improves to 6-4-2 through 12 contests.
How It Happened
- Middlebury scored the only goal of the first half in the 10th minute when Will Sawin converted a penalty kick at 9:32 to give the Panthers a one-goal advantage through 45 minutes.
- The Panthers finished the first half with an 11-4 advantage in shots.
- Vassar held a slim 2-1 edge in corner kicks at the break.
- Gale made a trio of first half saves to keep the Brewers within a goal through 45 minutes.
- Middlebury keeper, Joey Waterman, made a pair of stops to preserve the halftime lead for the Panthers.
- Coming out of halftime, Middlebury doubled its lead just 3:31 into the second half when Anderson Gardner finished off a feed from Owen Davis at 48:31 to move the advantage to 2-0.
- Trailing by two goals, the Brewers leveled the score with tallies just under three minutes apart.
- Pastor-Valverde got the Brewers on the board with his second goal of the year, potting an assist from Zapp Hotz (Ridgewood, NY) at 76:04.
- With the score 2-1, Tobolski brought Vassar even at 2-2 with his ninth tally of the season, bury a pass from Jared Fiske (Livingston, NJ) at 78:56.
- The game was even at two goals apiece until the 85th minute when Hamin Kim scored what proved the be the game winner off a pass from Gavin Randolph at 84:14.
- The Panthers closed out the victory with Sawin's second goal of the game with just 23 seconds left to play.
- Vassar finished the second half with a 14-10 advantage in shots.
- Middlebury took the only corner kicks of the second stanza.
- Gale made three more stops after halftime.
- Waterman turned aside four Vassar attempts in the second half.
For The Brewers
- Tobolski moved his team lead in points to 29 with his ninth goal of the season.
- Pastor-Valverde scored for the second time in 2025 and stands with six points on the year.
- Fiske picked up his fifth helper of the year and moves his point total to 27.
- Hotz helped on his fourth goal of the year and moves his season point total to eight.
- Tobolski led the team with five shots in the game, including four on goal.
- Mauricio Mejia (Miami, FL) registered three shots, landing one on target.
- Gale made three saves in each half and stopped a career-best six attempts for the Brewers.
For The Panthers
- Sawin scored twice and moved into the team lead in goals with five and points with 12.
- Gardner and Kim each scored their first goals of the season with Kim adding the deciding goal.
- Eduardo Casanova picked up his team leading sixth helper of the year on Middlebury's final goal.
- Randolph and Owen Davis each added their first assists of the campaign.
- Sawin and Randolph tied for the team lead with four shots apiece.
- Waterman earned the win in goal with six saves.
Game Statistics
- Middlebury outshot Vassar by slim margins overall, 21-18, and in shots on goal, 10-8.
- Corner kicks in the match were even at 2-2.
- Fouls were whistled 12-4 against the Panthers.
What's Next
- Vassar returns to Liberty League play when it hosts Skidmore on Saturday.
- Middlebury welcomes Bates to South Street Field on Saturday.
