Defense of Double Crown Half Over for Panther Lax

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Winning Title, Men Silence Questioners

By Nick Ferrer

Youngman Field may soon change its name to the Field of Champions. On Sunday, the men's lacrosse team captured its second straight NESCAC championship by defeating conference foe Colby 14-8 in front of a wild and boisterous home crowd. And, while their feat over a feisty White Mule squad may seem impressive, the bigger accomplishment is no doubt the Panthers' automatic berth into what will be their fifth consecutive NCAA tournament. There, top-seeded Middlebury will have a chance to defend its national title.

The Panthers began their NESCAC tourney campaign on Saturday where they faced Amherst in the semifinals. Having already secured the number one seed and home field advantage for the tournament, the Panthers took advantage of their first-round bye, which allowed their players several days of rest before resuming preparation for their conference title run. Clearly, the rest paid off.

In the first quarter, Middlebury broke an early 1-1 tie as sophomore attackman Mike Saraceni netted two of three unanswered Panther goals to take a 4-1 lead that would last until the quarter's end. In the second quarter, the Lord Jeffs showed uncanny offensive spark to show the Panthers they were not ready to let up. After both teams exchanged six goals, the Panthers led 7-4 at halftime.

If the first half was a show of the Panthers' dangerous offense, the second half was an equal show of defensive merit. Behind sophomore Eric Krieger's dominating performance in goal, Middlebury's defense allowed the Lord Jeffs just one second-half goal late in the third quarter. Krieger finished the day with 16 saves, and while the rest of the defense continued its near-perfect second-half showing the Panther's offense never slowed. Up 9-4 entering the final quarter, Middlebury exploded for seven straight goals. Led by senior midfielder Matt Dunn's seven points, the Panthers cruised to a 16-4 victory. Peter Albro '02 and Saraceni each tallied three goals and an assist, while sophomore attackman Charlie Howe scored twice.

After the convincing win over Amherst, Middlebury patiently awaited the outcome of the other semi-final matchup between cross-state rivals Colby and Bowdoin. Both teams had given the Panthers considerable trouble earlier in the season, and though it was Bowdoin that handed Middlebury its only loss, Colby would emerge victorious.

With the coveted bid to the NCAA tournament on the line, Middlebury and Colby took to Youngman Field on Sunday under a bright spring sun. Within minutes, the Panthers made it obvious that they owned the home field advantage. Leading 2-1 early in the first quarter, Greg Carroll '02 scored two quick goals to expand the Panther lead to three. Shortly thereafter, midfielder Albro continued his postseason tear when he found the back of the net to make it 5-1. The White Mules tallied again as the first quarter came to an end, closing the gap to just three goals.

In the second quarter, it was Dunn who got on the board first. Yet shortly after Dunn gave the Panthers a 6-2 lead, Colby struck back. Within less than six minutes, the White Mules scored four unanswered goals to tie the game at six and shock both players and fans alike. Two consecutive goals by Middlebury regained the Panther lead, but seconds later Colby again cut the difference. Colby's strike would be the last of the half, and Middlebury headed into halftime clutching a one goal, 8-7 lead.

After several minutes of scoreless play in the third quarter, defenseman Sebastian Astrada '02 broke the silence when he coasted across the field and ripped a bounce-shot past Colby's MVP goalie John Shea. Minutes later, Colby responded when the converted a fast-break opportunity to bring the score to 9-8.

The White Mules' eighth would prove to be their last. Thanks to another late defensive stand, Middlebury repeatedly denied the White Mules any chance of mounting a comeback. In almost repeating their performance against Amherst, the Panther's offense scored five consecutive second-half goals en route to handing the team a 14-8 win and a second straight NESCAC championship.

Carroll led all scorers on the day with four goals and an assist, while Dunn added two goals and an assist. Dunn's weekend showing was good enough to earn him Warrior/Inside Lacrosse Division III Player of the Week. "He was great. What else can I say, he's a relentless warrior out there," said Albro about his fellow midfielder. Both Albro and Zach Herbert '02 tallied three times to pace the Panther's winning effort.

Now Middlebury looks ahead to what it's been waiting for all season — a chance to defend its national title for the third time. Under the guidance of Head coach Erin Quinn, the Panthers have made five-straight tournament appearances, and six in the last seven years. In each of the last three years, the team has reached the finals. In each the last two years, it came home victorious. An astonishing record aside, the Panthers are still patient in awaiting their fast-approaching endeavors. The NCAA tournament, as they all know very well, is almost a whole new season that will offer unparalleled challenges. Fortunately for the Panthers, the team is loaded with veteran leadership that should help guide the road to the finals at Rutgers Stadium. That road begins on Wednesday at 4:15 p.m., when the top-seeded Panthers face New England College at Youngman field. If victorious, the team will again enjoy home field advantage when it tackles the winner of Whittier vs. Eastern Connecticut State on Sunday. After that, only time will tell.

Defense Sparks the Offense for Midd Women

Kate Nerenberg

Last weekend, the Middlebury women's lacrosse team nabbed their second consecutive NESCAC championship, with a semifinal win over fourth seed Colby and a victory in the title game over second seed Amherst. With the win, Middlebury received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and will host one of the four regional tournament games this weekend.

On Saturday, the White Mules could not stop the Panthers from scoring for the first 20 minutes of the first half, as Middlebury quickly put eight goals on the board. In this scoring run, Kristin Hanley '03 scored three of her six goals, while Julia Bergofsky '02 and Nuala O'Donohoe '04 added two apiece. Colby was not able to find the back of the net until a free position shot went in with 9:30 left.

Tri-captain Dana Chapin '02 attributed the strength of the first 20 minutes to the defensive improvement of late: "Defensively, our zone has really begun to connect and act as a unit, intimidating our opponents from the get-go," she said. Before the break, the Panther offense was on its toes as well, knotting three more goals to go into halftime with an 11-2 lead.

However, the White Mules came out firing in the second half, scoring at 27:22 on a high shot. The Colby defense held strong, denying the Panthers a shot on goal for the first 10 minutes of the half. Liv Wilson '03 finally broke through at 15:32 to increase the Middlebury lead to 12-3. However, the White Mules responded with a string of four goals over the next 1:30, fighting for a comeback.

But the Panthers had a response of their own, as they threw in three straight goals before Colby was able to stop the run, tallying an eighth goal. Hanley and Wilson scored just 10 seconds apart to bring the score to 17-8. The Panthers did not stop there, either. They used the last two minutes of the game to score another three goals and ended up walking away with a 20-9 win. Hanley led all scorers with six goals and three assists, and Bergofsky ended the game with four goals and one assist.

In the championship game against NESCAC rival Amherst, Middlebury again used the opening minutes of the game to gain control, as they scored six unanswered goals in the first 10 minutes. Sco
ring on a free shot just 2:30 into the game, O'Donohoe put the Panthers on top, a position they would not relinquish. Hanley then scored her seventh goal of the weekend, and only 15 seconds later, Meg Bonney '03 put the Panthers up by three. O'Donohoe then ran the entire length of the field to score her second of the afternoon. Middlebury found the back of the net twice more before the Lord Jeffs started to respond at the 18-minute mark.

"In both games we started off strong and go off to an early lead which really intimidated our opponents," tri-captain Bergofsky, noted. "Before we played Amherst [head coach] Missy Foote told us that they do not have enough good defenders to cover all of our attack players. The depth of our attack is a great advantage for us because if they try to shut one person down, five others can step it up."

The Panthers held onto a comfortable 8-2 lead for a majority of the first half, before Amherst also started a comeback, starting with two more goals before the end of the first half.

The Lord Jeffs continued their run into the beginning of the second half, coming to within three goals before O'Donohoe responded with her third goal of the game to put the Panthers up four. Bonney scored her fourth goal at 16:38 to increase the lead to 10-5.

After a Lord Jeff goal, Hanley recorded another assist, as she found O'Donohoe and put the Panthers up 11-6. Keeping the attack varied, Bonney and Bergofsky each scored again, sealing the win for the Panthers, who ended the weekend with a 13-7 and win a championship plaque. Quietly playing very strongly, Sarah Grenert '04 made 14 saves in goal for the Panthers.

As the team enters the second half of post-season play, it is still looking to improve despite its incredible success already. Chapin remarked that the team is looking to "fine-tune our level of play," while Bergofsky said, "We concentrate on improving and bringing our game to a whole new level. Our opponents are ourselves, and we play to constantly raise the bar and make practices harder than games. Therefore, in practice we really challenge each other and try to make our teammates better by playing them harder than the opponent will."

The Panthers will use this motivation as they take on the winner of the Western New England and Springfield game on Kohn Field on Saturday May 11. Hosting an NCAA Regional, the Panthers, if they get past their first game, will face the winner of a William Smith and Rown match. But the Panthers' won't overlook anyone. As Chapin says, the team "will play every game like it's our last and hope for the best."