Women's Soccer Duels Trinity to Tie

Author: Kate Nerenberg

In its season and New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) opener, the Middlebury women's soccer team walked away with a 2-2 tie against Trinity College. Like any other first game, the Panthers used it as an opportunity to work out any kinks and discover strengths and weaknesses. The team went into the game looking to rely on a lineup laden with juniors and seniors up front and a relatively inexperienced defense.
The lack of experience among the defenders in back may have been the cause of the Bantams first goal, which went past Els Van Woert '05 just five minutes into the game. The Panthers were able to hold Trinity scoreless for the rest of the half, however, as they continued to work with their new lineup.
"In the second half, the concept that the seniors had to be reliant and organizing kicked in and things went much more like Middlebury. But, the first half was shaky organizationally," noted head coach Diane Boettcher.
In what amounted to a gritty second half of play, the Panthers showed they have the personnel and the ability to make things happen this season. Early on, Amanda Green '04 fired a shot into the top corner of the net, evening the score at 1-1. The Bantams managed to climb back on top at 65:51 into the game, but soon the relentless Panthers struck again. With just 6:36 left to play, Green sent in a corner kick that got caught up in traffic and headed into the goal by a Trinity defender. The goal was credited to Green.
"Saturday's game was a great test of our ability to come from behind. We definitely proved that we are able to do so. But, we also know that ultimately, it's finding a way to win that counts," commented Anna Gayman '03. Fellow senior Britt Kittelsen agrees, "We came from behind to tie the game which proves we have that extra drive and says a lot about the heart of this team."
Any game is an opportunity to improve for the next game, and this is exactly what the Panthers plan on doing. According to Boettcher, the defense will make a few changes by placing defensive spark plug Caitlin Fabian '06 in the middle. Additionally, Boettcher wants to flatten her backs out in an attempt to catch opponents offsides. "The mobility [of the defense] enables us to compress the midfield on opponents, so there are fewer serves and more pressure on the ball. Look for our strikers to better use the midfielders," she said.
Kittelsen also wants to see the team pick up the pace for the entire game. The outlook for this is positive given that a strong, fit rookie class gives the Panthers "amazing depth and endless options."
Middlebury will have an opportunity to test out its new defense and work on the game's pace on Wednesday, when they take on Norwich. According to Leah Cumsky-Whitlock, fans can look for the Panthers to be "unstoppable — once we get our individual talent together and solve all the little issues on the field."