MiddLax nets rare shutout Skidmore falls victim to 17-0 Midd rampage

Author: Sarah Poling Luehrman

Last week was one of blinding success for the Middlebury women's lacrosse team as they collected two more decisive wins against Skidmore and then third ranked NESCAC rival Amherst, bringing their record to 10-1 for the season. With one regular season game left, the Panthers draw ever closer to the NESCAC Championships with a 7-0 conference record.

On Wednesday, April 20, the Panthers traveled to Skidmore, prepared to play a team that they beat handily by a nine point margin last season. On the way home, they celebrated their first shutout in five years, walking away from the Thoroughbreds with a 17-0 victory won in the pouring rain.

This was not the first time the Panthers showed prowess in difficult conditions - both offense and defense overcame the damp and played a skillful game. An all-star scoring lineup once again dominated the field. Eight different players scored on Skidmore goalkeeper Sarah Berheide throughout the game. Schuyler Winstead '06 led the offense with four goals and two assists, Elizabeth Renehan '06 close behind with three goals and one assist and Michele Bergofsky '06 scored one goal and earned three assists in a row during the first half. Berheide, with 11 wins and only two losses thus far this season, hardly knew what hit her when Alison Perencevich '06, Channing Weymouth '06, Liza Humes '07, Renehan, Winstead and Claire Edelen '07 all scored on her within the first 10 minutes of the game. Edelen, Weymouth and Winstead each scored once again before the end of the half, and Beth Seeley '05 and Perencevich each drove in a final goal in the last minute of the half to send Middlebury to the sidelines with an 11-0 lead.

Skidmore only allowed half as many goals during the second half, but Winstead and Renehan each scored twice more on Berheide, both of Renehan's goals coming in during the final five minutes of the half. Once again, Middlebury proved its offense very difficult to defend and its defense among the strongest in the division. Of the seven saves in goal that Co-captain Johanna Rosenfield '05 made, six were during the second half of the game. Before halftime, Middlebury's defense allowed only a single shot on goal in 30 minutes.

Flush with their Skidmore shutout, the Panthers returned to Kohn Field Saturday for the big Amherst game and served the Lord Jeffs their first loss of the season. Amherst has failed to defeat the Panthers for five years running now, and Middlebury doesn't seem likely to let it happen anytime soon. "The whole team really played together, which is always a great feeling," said Co-captain Caitlin McCormick '05. "They were definitely a good team, but I think we did all the little things right, which really made the difference."

Amherst took its only lead of the day when Amherst's Dana Kuper scored on Rosenfield early in the half, but three Middlebury goals in less than two minutes brought the Panthers back out ahead with 20 minutes to go in the half. Amherst would only manage two more goals before the whistle blew, but Middlebury put nine more behind Amherst goalkeeper Liv D'Ambrosio to end the half at 12-3. Renehan put away a goal off the draw after Kuper's second goal for Amherst, and Edelen and Kim Walker '07 each followed close behind to bring the score to 7-2. In the remaining 10 minutes, after one final Amherst goal, Middlebury scored five goals in a row to close the half with a 12-3 lead.

Amherst began the second half with a promising two goals in a row from Kuper and Alyssa Briody, the Jeffs' only two scorers throughout the game, but Winstead responded swiftly with another to bring the score to 13-5 with 17 minutes remaining in the half. Soon after, Kuper scored Amherst's last goal of the day, and the Panthers proceeded to score five more goals and end the game with a decisive 18-6 victory on the day.

Once again, Middlebury's offensive line presented Amherst with seven aggressive players who would score at least once each, Renehan and Walker scoring four times each and Winstead and Perencevich each with three goals. Head Coach Missy Foote, extremely pleased with the team's performance, commented, "It was a big win and every player played with incredible intensity." The defensive team deserves equal accolades, Rosenfield completing another excellent game with nine saves. In addition, Foote noted that "Emily Erickson '06 held Amherst's leading scorer [Ashley Harmeling] to no goals or assists" throughout the game. "It was an awesome win for us," said McCormick, and added that when the Jeffs return during NESCAC championships, "We'll definitely have to be ready to play our best again."