MIDDLEBURY, Vt.- The Norwich Men's Soccer team opened their 2024 campaign by travelling through the Green Mountains to take on fifth-ranked Middlebury to open the coaching tenure of new Head Coach Robert Emmett.

The Panthers were off and running early generating unrelenting pressure on the Norwich back end. There were numerous opportunities before Middlebury broke the ice in the 27^th minute. The Panthers kept the ball in their offensive end for the rest of the half, adding a second tally in the 40^th minute to take the lead in the break after generating all ten shot attempts in the frame.

Five minutes into the second half, Middlebury extended their lead, then added another marker on a penalty kick a minute and a half later. Norwich's best chance came on a Diego Fuentes (Valencia, Spain) shot attempt that was negated, resulting in a 4-0 defeat with Nicolas Lanza (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) making eight stops.

The Cadets will look to enter the win column when they begin Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) competition when they travel to Anna Maria on Sept. 7. Kickoff is set for 2:30 PM.