You just can't do it any better than senior captain John Murphy did it for the Bates men's soccer team last week: the All-NESCAC midfielder factored into all seven of the Bobcats’ goals in a 2-0 week, scoring five and adding two assists.
On Wednesday, Murphy (Yarmouth, Maine) flummoxed Southern Maine defenders with three goals and two assists in a 5-1 non-conference victory in Gorham, snapping a six-game winless streak for the Bobcats.
Equally impressive was Murphy’s game at Middlebury, where Bates won its first NESCAC game since its last visit to Vermont back in October 2010. (Murphy scored the game-winner in that game, too, a 1-0 triumph over the then-No. 5 ranked Panthers.) Murphy broke a scoreless tie with a free kick at the 52:05 mark. Bates gained some breathing room not long after, with the second goal of the game from Murphy at the 73:34 mark, with an assist from senior Ethan Hirshberg (Concord, N.H.).
Murphy's performance drew notice, as he was named NESCAC Player of the Week as well as ECAC Division III New England Offensive Player of the Week.
The All-NESCAC midfielder entered the Bobcats' season finale against Colby on Wednesday with 22 goals and 14 assists in his career.
