Field hockey splits weekend trip to Maine

Author: Allison Ortega

Undefeated and boasting a number eight national ranking, the Middlebury field hockey team embarked on an important weekend road trip to Maine to play Colby and Bowdoin. High-scoring forward Reid Berrien '08 remarked, "I always look forward to playing Bowdoin, because they are one of the strongest competitors in NESCAC." The team had additional motivation, as their lone NESCAC defeat last season came at the hands of the Polar Bears in the championship.

Before the much anticipated rematch against Bowdoin, the Panthers faced off against an improving Colby team on Saturday, Sept. 30. Although the Mules had posted just one victory heading into Saturday's contest, they came out strong in their upset bid. They were also aided by a slow Middlebury start as the Panthers were flat and had a hard time connecting their passes in the game's opening minutes. The Mules were able to take advantage and got on the scoreboard just five minutes into the contest. The Panthers answered with a goal of their own five minutes later as Lacey Farrell '08 netted the equalizer off of a feed from Berrien. Then, Berrien scored a goal of her own, giving the Panthers the lead heading into the half-time break.

During the second stanza, the Mules opened the scoring to tie the game at two. Facing the prospect of a tie, Middlebury responded with their strongest play. During the last fifteen minutes, the Panthers dominated with continuous pressure in offensive zone. With eleven minutes to play the team was awarded a penalty corner and Farrell set-up Dana Rye '07 for the eventual game-winner.

"We executed the penalty corner perfectly," said Rye. "We have been scoring a lot of goals off of them this season. I was really happy to contribute to the victory." Middlebury's Meg McGillen '07 finished the day with seven saves to earn her sixth consecutive victory.

On Sunday, in the battle of the NESCAC super-powers the Panthers faced off against the Polar Bears of Bowdoin. Early in the game, the Polar Bears controlled the play in the Panther's defensive end. However, Middlebury goalie McGillen was sharp, making several key saves to keep Bowdoin off of the scoreboard. During their first trip into the offensive end ten minutes into the game, the Panthers were able to take advantage of a scramble in front of the Bowdoin net as Madeleine Macmillan '10 scored her first career goal. Middlebury hung to the one-goal advantage for the remainder of the first-half as McGillen continued her stellar play.

In the second half, the Polar Bears charged into the lead with back-to-back goals. Facing the one-goal deficit, Middlebury rallied as Berrien placed a powerful shot through the goalkeeper's pads to tie the game with less than ten minutes remaining. With the score deadlocked at two, the game featured back and forth action as both had quality scoring opportunities. With just over one minute left in the game, the Polar Bears capitalized on a penalty corner to take the lead and secure the hard-fought victory. For the Panthers it was a case of history repeating itself as they suffered another heart-breaking defeat at the hands of the Polar Bears.

Despite the loss, the team is already looking forward to a potential rematch against Bowdoin in the NESCAC playoffs. "It's comforting to know that this is probably not the last time we will play them and hopefully next time the outcome will be different," Berrien commented.