HARTFORD, Conn. – Billy Curtis scored five goals for Middlebury to lead the visiting Panthers to a 16-7 victory over the Trinity College men's lacrosse team in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) action on Saturday afternoon at Jessee/Miller Field. The Bantams drop to 2-2 with a 1-2 mark in conference play while Middlebury improves to 2-2 (2-1 NESCAC). Next up for Trinity is a 7:30 matchup in Rhode Island against Salve Regina this Monday while the Panthers travel to Union College on Tuesday for a 4:30 start time. 
 
The Bantams netted the first goal of the game to take a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into play as Connor McCulloch scored on a dish from Cullen Wolff. Middlebury took its first lead with Curtis scoring an unassisted goal for his first of a five-goal day with just 29 seconds before the first quarter buzzer to put the visitors on top, 3-2. Middlebury then opened the day's second frame with a four-goal run, as Curtis cashed in goals six and seven to extend the Panthers' lead to 7-2 with 5:34 remaining before halftime. 
 
Trinity surged back with four-straight scores of its own, as Andrew Fearey and Jackson Trimmer each tallied a goal while McCulloch added two and cut the deficit to 7-6 with 13:06 to go in the third. Middlebury then strung together an eight-goal onslaught that blew the game wide open with a 15-6 advantage before the Bantams added its final two tallies of the day. 
 
McCulloch led the Blue and Gold with three goals while Ryan Werner recorded a team-high three helpers. John Cowdrick and Dane Crowley each collected five ground balls while Cooper Yaccino made 15 saves and Finn O'Connor registered 14 stops in net for the Panthers.