The women’s lacrosse team hosted the Tuft Jumbos for their season opener on Kohn Field this past Saturday, Feb. 28. The Panthers entered the game ranked third in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Association preseason poll, while the Jumbos ranked 14th. The Panthers fought and battled to the very last minute with several lead changes in their 12-11 loss.
Katie Ritter ’15 opened the game scoring two free position goals to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead early in the first half. However, Tuft’s Kate Mackin netted two goals to tie the game up. Laurel Pascal ’16 responded with an unassisted goal followed by a goal by Alli Sciarretta ’16 assisted by Mary O’Connell ’17 to give the Panthers a 4-2 lead. The Jumbos were not silenced, however, responding with two more unassisted goals from Lindsey Walker giving Tufts its first lead of the game. Again, Sciarretta ’16, assisted by O’Connell ’17, scored with 00:34 left in the first half sending the Panthers into the half with a 5-5 tie.
The second half was a ruthless battle. O’Connell ’17 opened the half strong with an unassisted goal. The following 15 minutes were nothing short of entertaining with two ties and two lead changes. However, the Jumbos went on a run and were up by three with 11:12 left in the game. Chrissy Ritter ’16 scored with an assist from the elder Ritter followed by a goal from rookie Hollis Perticone ’18 closing the gap to one. Tufts once again responded, giving them a two-point lead. Despite the two last minute goals by Pascal, the Panthers were unable to pull out the victory.
The loss for the Panthers came despite overall advantages in shots, ground balls and draw controls. The Tuft’s goalkeeper played a key role in the Jumbo victory, recording 10 saves to the seven of her Middlebury counterpart. However, goalie Maddie Kinker ’16, “really stepped up on Saturday making some key saves for her first collegiate start,” stated Captain Catherine Fowler ’15. With the loss, Middlebury falls to 0-1 overall in the NESCAC.
This is just the first game of the season for the Panthers, and the players are confident that they can make the necessary improvements for this Saturday’s game against Connecticut College.
“[We are] looking to have better movement and shots on offense and really limit the opponents opportunities to score on defense,” said Katie Ritter.
The Panthers have a week to improve and hopefully get a win on Saturday. The team is only looking forward from here on out and they “plan to focus this practice week on our attack and offensive plays,” said Fowler. “Initially losing the opening game was a tough one to swallow, but you learn and grow more from the losses and negatives, so I anticipate this week being very productive for our team.”
