Women's Lacrosse takes 3rd NESCAC Crown

Author: Zach Foster

It is becoming almost routine for the Middlebury women's lacrosse team, which advanced to its 10th consecutive NCAA tournament by securing another NESCAC championship this past weekend. But it was not easy. After pummeling Colby College in the semifinals on Saturday, the Panthers faced their stiffest competition of the season the following day in Amherst College.
After receiving a bye in the first round of the NESCAC tournament, the Panthers were set to face the Colby White Mules in a rematch of the season opener which Middlebury dominated 17-7. The rematch proved to be much of the same story on Kohn field. Early on, however, it appeared as if Colby was up to the task, holding the top-ranked Panthers scoreless with strong defense and goaltending from goalie Anna Schierberl Scherr. It was not until nearly eight minutes in when superstar Char Glessner '03 snuck one through to get on the scoreboard and open the floodgates for the Middlebury attack. The Panthers proceeded by tallying three straight goals in only 33 seconds from the sticks of Elizabeth Renehan '06, Meg Bonney '03, and Glessner once more respectively. After some back and forth play, Glessner found the net again to complete her hat trick and push the lead to 5-0. But goals were hard to come by, and as the offense struggled to find its usual rhythm, the zone defense and solid play of goaltender Sarah Grenert kept the advantage comfortably large. Rookie Ali Penecevich '06 capped the Middlebury first half scoring with one more goal, before Colby got on the board with the half's final two scores.
While the second half began with back and fourth play marked by the continuing defensive pressure of the White Mules, the Panthers maintained their composure and steadily built their lead. Bonney opened the scoring to push the lead to five, followed by two more Panther goals from Schuyler Winstead '06 and Co-captain Kristin Hanley '03. After Colby found the net for its last goal of the contest, Middlebury put to rest any glimpse of hope by registering the last four goals of the game. Goals from Katie Simpson '03, Syd Atkins '05, Winstead again and finally, Dalton Cox '03 completed the diverse Panther attack which was dispersed between nine players. While the Middlebury attack was dominant, the defensive effort was equally impressive, led by co-captain Kate Perine's '03 stringent play in the crease, Caitlin McCormick's '05 consistent checks, and Michelle Bergofsky's '06 disciplined groundball scoops. The total team effort, ultimately resulting in a 13-3 rout allowed the Panthers to move on in the tournament, where they would face the third-ranked Lord Jeffs of Amherst.
In the identical match-up as the previous two NESCAC championships, both teams looked very familiar with their opposing strategies. For one of the first times all season, Middlebury's opposition found the net first to open the scoring less than 10 minutes into the contest. Following this surprising effort, the Lord Jeffs found the net soon thereafter with a goal from Amherst star Liz Martin, whose goal was her 52nd of the year. Amherst then extended its lead to 3, when it found the net once more to open Middlebury's largest deficit of the season. Said Perine, "The defense was forced to break out and pressure the Amherst attack more than we are used to. This resulted in some early goals." After 25 frustrating minutes which featured the Panthers largest scoring drought of the year, Hanley found the net to close the gap to two. But Amherst did not back down from the challenge, returning the favor and restoring its three-goal cushion. However, less than one minute later, Simpson tallied a key goal before intermission, to cut the deficit to two going into the locker room.
Between halves, the team made a major change by moving into a more player-to-player type defense, as opposed to the usually conservative zone defense. Said Perine, "This helped force turnovers and allowed our offense to get into their rhythm." Five minutes into the second half, it appeared as if the defending National Champs would impose their superiority and open a scoring run to secure the NESCAC crown. However, after shrinking the lead to one, Amherst answered to make it a two goal game with just over 17 minutes to play. If the Lord Jeffs could have ended it here, they surely would have protected their lead for fear of the Nationally-regarded, notorious Panther scoring run which has terrorized teams for years. This is exactly what took place, as the Panthers rattled off six straight goals to close out the game and secure not only another NESCAC championship, but a continuation of their incredible winning streak which now sits just two games short of 50. Bonney ignited the barrage and Perencevich took a nifty feed from Hanley to give the Panthers their first lead at 6-5. Middlebury never looked back, as they found the net three more times, once from Renehan (assisted by Hanley for her 40th assist) and the final two from Glessner who scored her 50th goal of the season to lead the team.
While the win was a true testament to the persistence and response to adversity from Middlebury, the unexpected competition in the championship provided a significant scare. Said Perine, "It was a bit of a shocker. Amherst's game plan was aimed at keeping the score low by limiting our team's possession time." Pushed to the brink of defeat, the motivation to win is necessary going into the NCAA tournament. The Panthers will play the winner of the Bridgewater/Wheaton game in an attempt to repeat as the nation's best Division III women's lacrosse team.