CONCORD, Mass. - Middlesex hosted an athletic and experienced Nobles team on the turf on the last Wednesday of October and gave them all that they could handle in a 2-0 loss.

Nobles got on the board first in the tenth minute on the second phase of a corner kick that squirmed loose for Cesar Miranda to poke home for Nobles. 

That scrappy goal held up until the very end of the match, as Middlesex's back line of Luis Lugo Canales (Monterrey, Mexico), Will McCarthy (Concord, Mass.) and Quinn Falvey (Winchester, Mass.) held strong and limited chances throughout the match. 

Goalkeeper Noah Browne (Kingston, Jamaica) made two nice saves in the second half and kept Middlesex in the match with chances to tie it up late. 

The last minute of the match was frenetic as Bryan Mayhew (Kingston, Jamaica) dribbled past his marker in the attacking half and was scythed down to the ground late, but the play continued and led to a penalty kick awarded to Nobles for the last kick of the match to double the lead.

Middlesex competed with class and intensity and responded well to the adversity of the match and the physical play throughout the second half. 

It was a great performance with an undesirable outcome, but plenty of positive takeaways for competing so well with an athletic and dynamic Nobles team.