PANTHER SENIOR ATTACKER Susan Rowley whips in one of her four goals on Saturday during the Middlebury women’s lacrosse team’s home victory.
Independent photo/Steve James
MIDDLEBURY — This past Saturday brought another challenge for the undefeated Middlebury College women’s lacrosse team from a determined NESCAC foe.
MIDDLEBURY SENIOR MIDFIELDER Niki Mormile carries the ball up the field on Saturday past a Trinity player during the Panther women’s lacrosse team’s home victory.
Independent photo/Steve James
It came a week after the April 13 game in which the Panthers needed a last minute save by senior goalie Gina Driscoll to preserve a one-goal win at second-place Tufts. This time visiting Trinity trailed Middlebury by 8-7 early in Saturday’s second half, and by 10-8 early in the fourth quarter.
But the Panthers answered again, closing the fourth period on a 5-2 run to prevail by 15-10 and push their record to 14-0.
Middlebury seniors who were honored before their final regular-season home game pushed their personal win-loss record to 59-1. They also contributed three of the goals in the closing surge, two by attacker Susan Rowley and one by midfielder Sara Ellinghaus. Junior Hope Shue and freshman attacker Kate Motley added the other two scores in that pivotal stretch.
Middlebury will visit Williams on Wednesday seeking to close out their undefeated regular season, and then host the league’s No. 8 seed on Saturday in a NESCAC quarterfinal. Assuming a Panther victory in that game, the NESCAC semifinal and final will come to the Middlebury’s Kohn Field the following Saturday and Sunday — as will quite possibly first-round NCAA Division III games the weekend after.
The Panthers had actually clinched the league’s top seed the weekend before with the win at Tufts, while Trinity (7-7 overall, 3-6 NESCAC) is fighting for a playoff spot.
Panther Coach Kate Livesay said the Bantams were motivated given their postseason push, while Livesay called the Panthers “a little flat” early on.
MIDDLEBURY JUNIOR KELCEY Dion tightropes the sideline past a Trinity player during Saturday’s Panther lacrosse team’s home victory.
Independent photo/Steve James
“There is more parity in the league this year,” Livesay said. “Basically our message to the team was they (Trinity) play everyone tight, whether it’s the top of the NESCAC or the bottom of the NESCAC. They’re in these tight games and they’re battling. So we expected them to battle today, and we got exactly what we were expecting.”
Defensively the Bantams slowed the Panthers down until later in the game, when Middlebury began to move the ball more effectively to set up goals.
“They were just really clogging the middle. We like clean lanes to cage and letting our athleticism get us to net. And we just didn’t have those clean looks today,” Livesay said. “So we needed to be a little more assist-minded. I just feel like we were missing that early on.”
PANTHER SENIOR DEFENDER Chloe Newman bolts up the field with the ball during the Middlebury women’s lacrosse team’s home victory on Saturday.
Independent photo/Steve James
Still, the Panthers took an early 3-1 lead on goals by Maggie Coughlin, Kelcey Dion and Skylar Lach, with Rowley and Shue picking up assists.
But Trinity responded with its own 3-1 surge, tying the score at 4-4 with 2:08 left in the period. Late goals by Shue in transition and Rowley on a free position made it 6-4 after one period.
The Panthers looked like they would pull away early in the second, with a quick-stick goal by senior middie Niki Mormile, set up by Dion, and a Rowley strike at 10:15 making it 8-4. But they would go 10:21 of game time without scoring, and Trinity worked its way back in. Natalie Miller finished high mid-period, and 7.6 seconds before the half Alex Lesko deposited a Caroline Lampert feed and it was 8-6.
Two minutes into the second half, Bantam Casey Ward dodged through the Panther defense and made it 8-7. The Panthers broke through at 10:36, when a cutting Shue took a Caroline Adams feed and finished from point blank. With 1:11 left in the period Anna Spehr converted a pass Shue threaded through traffic, and the Middlebury lead was 10-7.
PANTHER FRESHMAN GOALIE Elizabeth Savage saves a high shot during the third quarter of Saturday’s Middlebury women’s lacrosse team’s home victory over Trinity.
Independent photo/Steve James
Lampert converted 25 seconds into the fourth period, and the lead was back to two. But back-to-back goals by Rowley 50 seconds apart, the second one set up by Coughlin, made it 12-8 at 12:54.
Lampert cut the lead to three at 8:58, but solo efforts by Shue and Ellinghaus pushed the lead to 14-9 at 7:04. After one last Trinity goal, Motley iced the cake at 1:46.
Lampert (three goals, two assists) and Miller (three goals) led for Trinity, and goalie Ali Macdougall made six saves.
Shue (four goals, two assists), Rowley (four goals), and Coughlin and Adams (a goal and two assists apiece) led the Panthers. Driscoll started in goal, but did not record a save in the first quarter. Freshman Elizabeth Savage played three quarters and surrendered six goals and made seven saves.
PANTHER JUNIOR ATTACKER Hope Shue fires home one of her four goals on Saturday during the Middlebury women’s lacrosse team’s home victory.
Independent photo/Steve James
Livesay said overall, “We’re feeling good,” but she did not sound satisfied with the status quo on Saturday. She said if the Panthers are to reach their goals they probably need to tie up a few loose ends.
“I think defensively we’re toggling between a couple of defenses (man-to-man, and a zone with a backer in the fan), and we just have to be a little bit sharper in both of them,” she said.
Livesay is also still tinkering up front. Shue (16 assists) and Rowley (nine assists) have 48 goals apiece; draw specialist Adams has 27 goals and 18 assists, Coughlin has 13 goals and 18 assists, and Motley has 19 goals. Another four players have between 16 and nine goals and between three and eight assists.
“We’ve got a lot of depth on offense. The tricky thing is know what matchups work on what days,” Livesay said. “We’ve got a lot of people who can contribute. But on a day like today, we needed a few more looks, and I felt like we weren’t getting that from our depth today. So we’re just hoping to be a little sharper offensively.”
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