Panthers ride Mules in season opening win Perencevich '06, Bergofsky '06 and Renehan '06 notch hat tricks in Maine

Author: Sarah Luehrman

The Panthers are off to a roaring start with last weekend's 18-11 road victory over Colby. The team played a tight and competitive game, never allowing Colby to surpass them. "Although we had some lapses," commented captain Emily Erickson '06, "we were really able to pull it together and work things out on both the offensive and the defensive ends." After maintaining a tie at 5-5, a pair of unassisted goals from attacker Liza Humes '07 "sparked the offense," according to Erickson, and pulled the Panthers permanently into the lead with three and a half minutes remaining in the first half. Captain Elizabeth Renehan '06 netted one more goal 12 seconds before the buzzer to end the period at 8-5.

The opening goal of the second half came from attacker Schuyler Winstead '06 off what Assistant Coach Melissa Hopkins called "a classic Winstead move," scoring on a lefty bounce from inside the 8m arc shot through the goalie's legs. Riding their momentum, Middlebury outscored Colby 5-1 in the first 10 minutes of the second half, with four more from Claire Edelen '07, Channing Weymouth '06, Alison Perencevich '06 and Kim Walker '07. Though Colby's offense would fight back a few times, the Panthers' decisive lead remained throughout as they employed a wide range of offensive plays. Persistent attacker Michele Bergofsky '06 scored on the third of three shots in a row, getting each rebound and pressuring the goalie until she got through. Defensive midfielder Reid Berrien '08 and Renehan each tallied in the last five minutes to end the game 18-11.

"We've been working hard in practice on our zone defense, our transition and some settled offensive plays," said Erickson, "and the game gave us an opportunity to try it all out against a competitive and aggressive team." The Panthers, no less aggressive, out-shot the Mules 38-23. In addition, Middlebury was able to showcase the depth of their offense, with 10 different players scoring during the game. Leading the offense were Winstead with two goals and three assists, Bergofsky with three goals and one assist, and Perencevich and Renehan with three goals apiece. Also of note was rookie Blair Bowie '09 with a very successful Middlebury debut in goal, playing 57 minutes and making 11 saves.

"We'll continue to work on polishing - zone defense, transition and offensive plays - this week before we head to Florida over break," said Erickson. The Panthers have two games ahead of them in Florida, first against St. Lawrence on Monday, March 20, and then against Salisbury on the following Wednesday. While St. Lawrence has not made an NCAA appearance since the '90s, Salisbury looms as one of only two teams to defeat Middlebury last season. The Panthers played the Sea Gulls last year during their spring break as well and fell 12-10, suffering their only regular season loss in five years. Salisbury went on to have a spectacular year, placing first in the nation in their offense and second overall. They fell, however, in the NCAA final four. This spring, their season is off to a hot start as they roll into league play this week with a 4-0 record. Needless to say, they will give Middlebury a good game next week. The Panthers have reason to be optimistic in the fact that this year's Lacrosse Magazine ranked them as the second best team in the country. This position allows them look down at Salisbury, who were placed third in the magazine's 2006 Division III preseason rankings. Middlebury fans, it seems, are not the only ones with high hopes for the Panthers' season. With this talented group of players, optimism abounds.