Women's Lacrosse Continues to Roll , Ephs Next

Author: Zach Foster

Chalk up two more convincing victories for the Middlebury women's lacrosse as they continue to make opponents look silly in the wake of their superiority. The two most recent thumpings, which pushed the Panther winning streak to a remarkable 44 games, came against in-state nemesis, the University of Vermont, and New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) foe, Trinity.
The first game took place in Burlington, Vt. From the beginning, it was clear that Middlebury was intent on asserting their dominance concerning who was indeed Vermont's best team. Char Glessner '03.5, who was recently named NESCAC Player of the Week for the second time this season, began the scoring just under four minutes into the game. On the ensuing possession, Glessner found teammate Meg Bonney '03 to make it a 2-0 lead. Bonney continued the pressure with another tally, followed by consecutive Middlebury goals from Ali Perencevich '06, Nuala O'Donohoe '04 and Elizabeth Renehan '06 to make it 6-0.
The Catamounts did not find the net until midway through the first half, when they scored on a free position shot. After this spark of hope, the Middlebury attack moved into full throttle pressure. The Panthers scored seven more times in the half, led by three more from Glessner to take a commanding 13-2 advantage at the half.
The second half was more of the same as Middlebury ran up five unanswered goals and never looked back. The Panther attack remained consistent, firing 35 shots on net compared to an anemic total of 10 from UVM. Glessner led the scoring efforts and ended the game with an impressive eight-point effort with five goals and three helpers. However, Glessner was not alone in the Middlebury onslaught. She was accompanied by nine other Panthers who found the net in the victory.
O'Donohoe recorded four goals, while Bonney and Perencevich had two apiece. Along with an unwavering Middlebury attack, the defensive zone also had an impressive performance. Most notably, said Coach Missy Foote, Michele Bergofsky '06 played stellar defense, picking up five ground balls.
Next up was Trinity, ranked 18th in the nation. The game was essentially over midway through the first half as the Panthers built an unmerciful 11-0 lead. Co-captain Kristin Hanley '03 started things off only 25 seconds into the contest with a goal that set the tone. Trinity was not able to get on the board until there was 23 seconds remaining in the half, a goal which followed five more Middlebury goals.
Said Co-captain Kate Perine '03, "Our first half showed some major improvement in our ability to pass the ball down the field and score quickly in transition." Coach Foote called the first half "nearly flawless".
While the second half was relatively quiet for both teams, one bright spot was the goaltending of Johanna Rosenfield '05, who made several key saves.
Glessner and Hanley, who had four goals apiece, led the scoring attack. They were accompanied by O'Donohoe and Bonney with matching hat tricks and Katie Simpson '03, who scored twice.
Most notable in the offensive effort was the unselfish play of Simpson, who assisted on five goals along with scoring two of her own. Also contributing to the rout was the unsung play of Caitlin McCormick '05, who, Foote said, "Played a beautiful game with quick precision passing and excellent checks." McCormick factored heavily into the success of the team's nationally-feared fast break, which according to Foote, "Worked perfectly several times with goals and assists from many different players."
The next test for the defending National Champions is undefeated Williams, ranked fifth in the nation. Middlebury will make the trip to Williamstown in a quest for a key win which would seal the number one seed in the NESCAC tournament as well as securing home-field advantage.
As the women prepare to battle their NESCAC rival in a potentially hostile environment, one can feel relatively confident that the Ephs will get all they can handle. The Middlebury squad currently averages a margin of victory of 13 goals that would make any purple cow quiver.