Women’s Lacrosse Weathers Second-Half Scare

The women’s lacrosse team came out firing Saturday in their season opener against Tufts, outscoring their opponent 10-2 in the first half of the game, beating Tufts by a final score of 12-8. Middlebury’s first half scoring barrage was initiated by transfer Bridget Instrum ’16 within the first minute of the game.

After giving up one goal to Jumbo Kali Digate, Middlebury began an uncontested eight goal scoring run after a goal from sophomore Laurel Pascal ’16 off of a free position shot. This scoring run included two goals from Liza Herzog ’14, a second goal each from Pascal and Instrum, and goals from Katie Ritter ’15, Ali Sciarretta ’16, and Delaina Smith ’17.

With 2:17 to go in the first half the Panthers let in another goal to Digate, but quickly responded with an unassisted goal from Chrissy Ritter ’16 just before the end of the half.

Despite the momentum favoring the Panthers going into halftime, Middlebury came out flat for the second half and allowed Tufts back into the game by allowing five consecutive goals from various members of the Tufts offense in the first 15 minutes after the break. However, an unassisted goal from Herzog, followed by a goal off of a free position shot from Katie Ritter, gave the Panthers what they needed to withstand the Tufts comeback.

Herzog led the Panthers in points, finishing the day with three goals and an assist, followed by Pascal who finished with two goals and an assist.

Middlebury’s seasoned defensive unit of Hannah Deoul ’14, Erin Benotti ’14, Catherine Fowler ‘15 and Maggie Caputi ’16 helped lock down the Tufts offensive and limit the Jumbos’ scoring. Benotti led the team in ground balls, finishing with four in the game.

Middlebury’s performance could also significantly be attributed to co-captain Alyssa Palomba’s ’14 strong play in the net. Palomba finished with 10 saves on the day, many of which were in close and in key moments during the game.

Co-captain Deoul admitted that the team has a long way to go if it wants to meet its goals for this season.

“We are really happy with how we played against a tough opponent,” Deoul said, “However, after Saturday’s game we realized we have a lot to learn. We witnessed this as we tried to switch around with our defense in the second half and let Tufts back into the game...We’re really excited about this season as I think we have a lot of things going well for us.”

After a week of practice, the Panther’s ability to learn and improve will be tested next Saturday, March 8, when they will face off against Connecticut College in New London, CT. The Camels, who finished in last place in the NESCAC last season with a record of 1-9, will look to give the Panthers a better game than they did in 2013.