The Fall Long Weekend rivalry matchup between Groton and Middlesex proved to be an eventful and highly competitive matchup.  With three days off on the other side of the match, the Zebra derby provided plenty of end-to-end action.  For Groton, #13 Edward Wilkey was the catalyst for most of the positive play for the visitors.  #8 Roberto Pignitaro and #4 Arthur Murray also defended very well for Groton.  For Middlesex, Adriano Valmora '28 broke the deadlock early in the match with a smooth finish from a Bear Tibbitt restart.  Olly Mylon '25 doubled the lead less than 10 minutes later on a feed from Bryan Mayhew '26.  Middlesex managed to miss a few close range opportunities and hit the crossbar from ten yards out before the halftime whistle.  In the second half, Groton brought renewed energy and pressed for an opening goal throughout the half.  Though that chance didn't materialize for them, the effort and persistence was commendable.  Middlesex saw the match out, though two 1v1 breakaways, both from inch-perfect Valmora feeds, were thwarted by goalkeeper Wanli Zhang.  Strong efforts came from Tyler Martinez '26, Colin Hope '26, Luis Lugo Canales '28.  The final whistle went on another rivalry day that saw Middlesex earn the three points and a clean sheet for the 2-0 victory.  The match saw no cards from the official and both teams represented the jersey with spirit and sportsmanship.