CASTLETON, Vt. – Stellar goalkeeping by Castleton's Ryan McKay was not enough as the Castleton University's men's soccer team dropped a 1-0 nonconference contest to intrastate rival Middlebury on Wednesday evening at Dave Wolk Stadium.

Castleton falls to 7-7-1 overall while Middlebury improves to 8-2-3 with the victory.

Following a 1-0 victory in 2017, the Panthers followed a very similar game plan on Wednesday evening, scoring in the early stages and then using strong defense to hold on.

In the waning minutes of competition, with the Spartans trailing 1-0, Jack Kingdon came within a yard of sending in the equalizer. Receiving a thread between defenders from Seraphin Iradukunda, Kingdon tried to catch the keeper leaning and send the ball inside the post. Yet, the ball sailed just right of the post.

Putting together another great performance in between the posts, McKay made several diving saves and otherwise tricky plays on strong shots. The freshman falls to 5-2-0 during the season, despite making seven saves.

Scoring in the 24th minute, the Panthers' Ben Potter notched the lone goal of the game. In an unlucky situation, a bump in the box led the referee to award a penalty shot. Potter wrong-footed McKay to find the twine and put Middlebury ahead.

Nearly splitting the shot count, Middlebury held a 17-13 advantage, while also claiming a 4-3 lead in corner kicks. The Panthers also committed 13 fouls to Castleton's seven.

Men's soccer returns to action at 7 p.m. on Homecoming Saturday as it hosts the LEC-leading Keene State Owls at Dave Wolk Stadium. Senior Game ceremonies will commence shortly before gametime.

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