Field Hockey Still Perfect at 6-0

Author: Tom McCann

The Middlebury women's field hockey team recorded their fifth and sixth consecutive victories of the season this weekend against Colby and Bowdoin. All three teams were perfect before the games this weekend, giving both games an added importance for all of them. As it turned out Middlebury was too strong for both their visitors and extended its record to 6-0 before the visit of Keene State this week.

The visit of Colby provided one of the biggest games of the season so far for the Panthers and tested their patience more than anything. After being under pressure right from the word go, the Mules stunned Middlebury by taking the lead from a penalty corner with a rare venture forward. The shot that yielded a goal was the first that Colby had taken, following 21 unsuccessful shots from Middlebury. Then to make matters worse, Colby doubled their lead half way through the first half from another penalty corner. After dominating the shots, possession and territorial battle, the Panthers found themselves needing to dig deep and find a way past Molly Rice in the goal for Colby.

The seemingly endless pressure eventually told as Ashley Lyddane pulled one back after an assist from Char Glessner and a few minutes Middlebury were able to tie the game at 2-2 when Missy Krempa found the target. Molly Rice continued the game of her life in the second half for Colby as Middlebury tried desperately to win the game in front of their home support. The comeback was completed deep in the second half when Abigail Lamb provided the assist for Char Glessner to score the winner. The third goal proved to be decisive as the game ended 3-2 to the Panthers, giving them the perfect start to the weekend. When all was said and done, Middlebury had out shot Colby by a staggering 45-6 and totally deserved their eventual victory.

The second match-up of the weekend pitched Middlebury against Bowdoin who also boasted a perfect record going into the game. The weather on Sunday became a real factor in the game as the heavy rain saturated the artificial surface. Becca Brakeley mentioned "This meant that the ball did not roll as quickly as usual and three women had to wear gloves as it was difficult to even hold the sticks." Bowdoin came into the game fired up, having just lost to Amherst in overtime and needed to get their season back on track.

A closely fought game resulted in a scoreless first half, leaving it all to play for when the teams took to the field for the second time. With both teams perfect up to this game, something had to give and it became a matter of which team wanted it the most. The Panthers have never been short in this department and scored the all-important first goal with 25 minutes to go in the first half when Channing Weymouth provided an assist for Char Glessner. Allison Smith '06 then put the game out of reach for Bowdoin when she doubled the lead for Middlebury 10 minutes later. After the game Middlebury were able to reflect on another well-earned victory and one that takes them to their best record since the '98 NCAA Championship team began their quest 7-0.

Middlebury is now ranked fourth in the nation and following the game against Keene State, travel to Amherst for a crunch tie, knowing that the winner will take plenty. Commenting on why Middlebury have had so much success, goalkeeper Anna Spiegel noted, "The entire team works really well together. There is no superstar but the experienced players are consistently great." This consistency will be key to the success of Middlebury in the upcoming games, most notably on their visit to Amherst next weekend.