Women's Lacrosse Maintains Momentum

Author: Zach Foster

While the majority of Middlebury students used Spring Break as an excuse to relax both mentally and physically, the women's lacrosse team kept focused on the task at hand, the quest for a third straight National Championship. The squad remained busy with two New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) contests as well as two games in Florida.
The Spring Break battles resulted in four Panther victories and an extension of the team's towering winning streak, which now stands at 39 games.
The team started its journey on the campus of Connecticut College where it wasted little time in asserting its dominance. The performance was sparked by a string of six assisted goals early in the first half to build a 7-0 lead with 12 minutes remaining.
During this span Kristin Hanley '03 had three goals, Char Glessner '03 had one goal and two assists and Meg Bonney '03 and Schuyler Winstead '06 chipped in one apiece. Kate Simpson '02.5, who was the Warrior/Inside Lacrosse Division III Honorable Mention Player of the Week last week, also had three assists in the run.
The second half featured an impressive display of the defensive capabilities of Middlebury, as the Connecticut offense was shut out. Led by Co-Captain Kate Perine '03 on defense, and the tag-team goaltending of Johanna Rosenfield '05 and Sarah Grenert '04, the defensive zone remained solid and opened opportunities for the offense to pour it on. Led by Glessner and Simpson, both of whom had seven point efforts in the win, the team cruised to a convincing 19-3 victory.
The next day, the team traveled to the turf field of Trinity College to face Wesleyan. Neither the cold weather nor the tiresome travel necessities were able to slow down the Panthers, as they quickly raced out to an 11-0 lead.
The scoring began with a sweet effort by Nuala O'Donohoe '04, followed by goals from Glessner, Bonney and three more from O'Donohoe. As the defense remained unchallenged, the team continued to enforce heavy pressure on the Wesleyan defense. The team scored five more times, including two from Simpson and one from Ali Perencevich '06.
The second half featured the dominating play of Hanley, who set up player after player with remarkable finesse and precision. The team scored six straight to open the half and finished with a 20-5 win. Hanley had four assists in the second half to three different players and ended with a goal and five assists. The scoring was spread throughout the offensive weapons with O'Donohoe, Glessner and Bonney all scoring four each, Simpson and Perencevich with three apiece, and Beth Seeley '05 with one.
After two convincing league wins, the team flew down to St. Petersburg, Fla., in an attempt to enforce supremacy over the South. The team began by shutting out Eastern Connecticut State in the first half 9-0 en route to a 15-1 rout. While the defense remained solid and the tandem of Grenert and Rosenfield saved five of six shots, the offense provided excitement throughout the game in convincing fashion. Glessner led the team with five goals, Hanley (three assists) and O'Donohoe netted three each and Bonney added two more.
The team finished the trip with a game against the club team from the University of Florida in which the Panthers played very well with several players playing new positions.
Said Perine, "Florida was a great opportunity for us to work on more fundamental skills as well as the intricacies of the zone defense." Perine noted that "as we get into tougher competition the need to tightly mark up players in the zone will be greatly tested."
During the stretch of games, the offense asserted its abilities, while the defense remained virtually untested. Said Perine, "We are hoping to improve on our passing in transition as well as our defensive position when our opponents are attacking." With more proven competition approaching, the team is confident in its abilities to continue its winning ways. Head Coach Missy Foote remarked, "We are working on taking our game to the next level as we head into some tough competition this week." The team will face a talented Union squad, as well as an undefeated Amherst team that ranks just behind Middlebury at #2.
Perine continued, " As we get into the NESCAC schedule I think we should gain the confidence and composure we will need later in the season." If early successes are any indication, the women's lacrosse team should feel confident in its abilities to bring home a third straight title.