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Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024

Field Hockey Muscles Past Trinity

The women’s field hockey team continued their winning streak at home last weekend with wins over NESCAC opponent Trinity on Saturday, Oct. 17 (6-0), and non-conference challenger Husson University on Sunday, Oct. 18 (5-0). With two conference games remaining in regular season play, the third-ranked Panthers (12-1, 7-1) have now won eight in a row.


Saturday’s Homecoming match-up against Trinity proved an easy win, as four first-half goals and a hat trick from Pam Schulman ’17 led the Panthers to a 6-0 victory on Kohn Field.


Middlebury’s offensive spree began in the 15th minute when Schulman scored her first goal off an unassisted penalty corner. Less than three minutes later, Schulman netted her second of the day, lifting a pass from Bridget Instrum ’16 over the head of Trinity goalie Sophie Fitzpatrick to put the Panthers up 2-0. Four minutes later and only 12 minutes after her first goal, Schulman completed her hat trick off a pass from Annie Leonard ’18.


“We have been trying some people at different positions and things really clicked in the games this weekend,” Schulman said. “We focused on running the ball rather than just hitting it up field, and got a few really good points early on against Trinity.”


In the 26th minute, Grace Jennings ’19 assisted Molly Freeman ’19 in netting her 11th goal of the season. This put the Panthers up 4-0 at the half.


Leonard came into the second half with some fire, scoring two goals in the 42nd and 43rd minutes to finish Middlebury’s strong offensive performance.


Trinity’s best scoring opportunity came in the 63rd minute when Olivia Tapsall hit a penalty shot from just inside the circle, but Panther goalie Emily Miller ’17 blocked the shot to hold on to her third straight shutout. Miller recorded four saves as the Panthers held a 21-7 advantage in shots and an 11-5 edge in penalty corners. Fitzpatrick posted 12 stops for the Bantams.


Just a day later, another four goal first-half led the Panthers to a 5-0 victory over the Husson Eagles at Kohn Field. Middlebury got on the scoreboard early, when Schulman netted her 11th goal of the season just three minutes into the game. At the 6:50 mark, Leonard capitalized on a pass from Jennings to put the Panthers up 2-0 and record her team-leading 13th goal of the season.


Jennings assisted on the next goal as well, sending a give-and-go pass to Instrum, who scored her seventh of the year. The Panthers closed out the first half by scoring in the 27th minute when Shannon Hutteman ’16 sent a penalty corner flying past Eagle goalie Anne-Marie Provencal for a 4-0 lead. Both Anna Kenyon ’16 and Instrum were credited with the assist.


A single goal in the 59th minute from Carson Peacock ’18 solidified the Panthers’ 5-0 victory. Audrey Quirk ’18 carried the ball downfield and sent a crossing pass to Peacock, who converted for her second of the year.


“The highlight of the Husson game was Peacock’s goal in the second half,” Schulman said. “She caught a pass on the far left post and managed to put it in past a really aggressive goalie. It was a great goal.”


Miller had one save for the Panthers in the first half, and Evangeline Dunphy ’18 cinched a scoreless second half in the goal. On the other hand, Husson’s Provencal finished with 10 stops for the Eagles. Middlebury dominated offensively, holding a 28-3 advantage in shots and a 17-2 edge in penalty corners.


“Our defensive penalty corner unit, with really consistent goal keeping, has been stable and kept teams scoreless the last four games,” Head Coach Katharine DeLorenzo noted. “Our continued ability to find scoring from at least two or three different people per game makes it difficult for other teams to prepare well.”


The Panthers will return to play on Saturday afternoon, when they travel to Maine for a conference match-up against the Bates Bobcats. 


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