Women's soccer wins NESCACs in OT

Author: James Kerrigan

The Middlebury women's soccer team capped a tremendous performance in the NESCAC tournament by beating host Amherst 1-0 in overtime of the finals Sunday. Erin Oliver '07 scored the game-winner seven minutes into overtime off a feed from Norah Tomlinson-Weintraub '10, securing the victory and the team's first NESCAC title since 2000.

"Norah sent the ball across the box," said Oliver, "and I passed it into the corner of the goal. The crazy thing was that the goalie didn't react at all. She was literally frozen in place."

The weekend's matches pitted Middlebury against the only two teams that were able to defeat them during the regular season. Middlebury had fallen to Colby 2-1 on Sept. 30, but the Panthers were a different team in the semifinals: on Saturday, the Panthers shut out Colby 2-0 to advance to the title match.

"Coming into the semifinal game, we knew that we were a different team than they had faced before, but Colby didn't know that," said Oliver. "I think they were pretty surprised when we dominated right from the start."

Middlebury got on the board in the first half on a goal from Margaret Owen '10, off a corner kick from Tomlinson-Weintraub. In the second half Middlebury had the tail wind and never looked back. After another goal from Lindsay Walker '10, which was set up by Ashley Pfaff '09 and Tri-Captain Caitrin Abshere '07, Colby was toast and Middlebury was on the way to the finals.

The team had a more difficult time, however, asserting itself against Amherst on Sunday. Scoring opportunities were sparse as both teams battled hard for 90 scoreless minutes. Abby Kurtz-Phelan '07 had the best shot at giving Middlebury an early lead, but her shot rattled off the cross bar. The second half was a hectic period for both teams, as it became apparent that whoever got the first goal would have a clear path to victory. Amherst looked like it may have had the game won, when, with only 25 seconds left May Marvall had a wide-open header off a corner kick, but fortunately for Middlebury, it sailed clear over the net.

Overtime was no different than regulation as the rapid up and down action continued. However, overtime culminated with a Middlebury goal.

"It was very physical and there was a lot of emotion at stake," said Tri-Captain Kim Walker '07. "I think our team maintained its composure well and had confidence, which got us through the tense moments." Oliver's goal was a work of art, a clear shot past the top goalkeeper in the NESCAC, Piper Crowell.

The goal incited an explosion of emotion from the Panthers, as they tackled Oliver right on the spot. "The whole huddle fell over. It was very emotional," said Kim Walker, "especially for the seniors." Revenge was sweet as Middlebury had suffered a tough defeat at the hands of the Lord Jeffs at Petrone Field a few weeks back.

The tone for the weekend was set by the strong play of the Middlebury backfield, which did not allow a single goal. The defense, consisting of Kim Kennedy '08, Elise Tarbi '08 and Anjuli Demers '10, stifled each Amherst attack with an impressive combination of speed and communication. Goaltender Adele Plunkett '09 stopped four shots against Amherst, as she recorded her ninth shutout of the season.

With both wins, Middlebury clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, and will face the Scranton University Royals (12-6-2) of the Freedom Conference on Saturday Nov. 11 at Western Connecticut University.