Lax racks up 12 win season

Author: Sarah Poling Luehrman

With a 2-0 week at the end of an 11 game winning streak, the Panthers officially ended their regular season as the first seed in the upcoming NESCAC championships, to be hosted on Kohn Field on May 7 and 8. This past week's opponents included Williams and Trinity, respectively fifth and eighth seed in the league.

Middlebury beat Williams on the road last Wednesday 10-7 in the lowest scoring game yet this season. Nonetheless, the offense boasted five different players scoring on Williams goalkeeper Meghan Dwyer, ranked first in NESCAC both for average saves per game and for overall save percentage. A free-position shot from Claire Edelen '07 began the scoring four minutes into the half, followed by goals from Sydney Atkins '05 and Elizabeth Renehan '06. After a Williams goal midway through and a goal from Schuyler Winstead '06, the Williams offense responded with two goals in succession to narrow the margin 4-3 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the half. Possession went back and forth until the whistle blew, with Kim Walker '07 scoring twice to balance two more goals from Williams and leaving the score at a tight 6-5. Play resumed with a quick goal from Williams to tie the game at 6-6, the first tie the Panthers had seen in weeks. Less than two minutes later, however, Renehan scored her second goal of the game to return the advantage to Middlebury. Edelen scored again soon after and Allison Perencevich '06 netted her first of the game just before the Ephs managed to score their seventh and final goal. Midway through the period, Walker scored her third goal of the game and the last goal to pass either goalkeeper, bringing the final score to 10-7. Both teams played a tight, defensive game, and Co-captain and goalkeeper Johanna Rosenfield '05 made an impressive 12 saves throughout the game.

Trinity College, home of top NESCAC scorer Bea Gratry, came to Kohn Field Saturday for the Panthers' final regular season game, and the Panthers defense held Gratry, who averages 4.85 goals per game this season, to one goal for four shots. Liza Humes '07, on the other hand, led the Middlebury offense with four goals and two assists. Edelen, Renehan and Walker each scored three goals and collectively contributed six assists, and Perencevich, Channing Weymouth '06 and Michele Bergofsky '06 added their scoring power to the lineup, making the offense tight, quick and, as usual, difficult to defend. The first half of the game provided Middlebury with a 9-6 lead with an impressive showing from both teams, but the second half began with a seven goal streak from Middlebury as they blew through the Bantams' defense. The game was as good as won from there until the end as the Panthers led 16-6. Trinity managed three more goals before the whistle blew, but Middlebury had left no room for a comeback and scored two more to end the game 18-9.

Middlebury attacker and midfielder Winstead was named NESCAC Player of the Week on April 25 for her efforts during the Amherst game and the Skidmore shutout. Between the two games, Winstead collected seven goals and five assists for the team.

Middlebury drew a bye for the first round of NESCACs last weekend and is slated to face Williams - who upset fourth-ranked Colby 8-6 on Sunday - in the semifinals this Saturday on Kohn Field at 12:00 p.m. The winner will face the winner of the Amherst-Bowdoin game at the same time the following day. Should the Panthers defeat the Ephs, they will be forced to reckon with a team that they know will give them a good fight. The Panthers are guaranteed to be motivated by the fact that if they win both their games this weekend they will have clinched their fifth consecutive NESCAC championship title.