Women's Soccer Splits Two Games

Author: Mike Kennedy

The Middlebury women's soccer team fell from atop the NESCAC standings this past weekend, dropping a 2-0 contest at Amherst on Saturday. The Panthers slipped into a four way tie for second place in the league with the loss, where they sit one game behind Williams, who they will host this weekend. Their record now stands at 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the NESCAC heading into this week's action. Despite the loss at Amherst, the Panthers did manage to turn things around and pick up a non-conference win against Colby-Sawyer earlier in the week.

Middlebury arrived in Amherst Saturday riding a six-game winning streak and was tied with Bates for the top spot in the NESCAC. But the Panthers came out flat, allowing the Lord Jeffs to dictate play in the first half. The rain made for slick, fast field conditions, which caused Middlebury problems in generating scoring opportunities. They did manage to keep Amherst off the board in the first half, and had the chance to regroup before entering the next half of play.

After the intermission, the Panthers picked up the intensity, but did not manage to score despite breaking through the tough Amherst defensive group at times. The Lord Jeffs capitalized on two Middlebury turnovers and held on for the 2-0 shutout. Junior Els Van Woert made three saves for the Panthers.

"We came into the game having won six in a row, and may not have been as mentally prepared for this game as we should have been," commented senior co-captain Amanda Green. "We can look at this as another learning experience for our team and use it to our advantage in the second half of the season."

Earlier in the week, Middlebury perhaps vented some of its frustration in walking over non-conference opponent Colby-Sawyer 7-0. The Panthers got offensive contributions from 10 different players in the win, with senior Jessica Peterson leading the attack with two goals. Green picked up her first goal of the season, and first-year Laura Kwoh tallied the first of her Middlebury career. Senior Molly Turco, Junior Brittany Cronin, and first-year Erin Pittenger completed the scoring for the Panthers. First-year Al Shube got the win in goal, making four saves on the day.

The Panthers next square off against Williams at home this weekend, and with no games during this school week, they will have ample practice time to get ready for the first-place Ephs. With a win, Middlebury can regain a share of first place in the NESCAC, which would be even sweeter coming with a win over the longtime rival. Turco looks forward to the match up. "We have confidence that we can come out and take it to them all over the field and walk away with the win. It's not too tough to get fired up for Williams, especially playing in front of our home crowd. We'll be ready to go." Kickoff is set for noon on Saturday.