It was a cinch to clinch No. 1 seed Women's lacrosse will host NESCACs after 19-6 win

Author: Dickie Redmond

The Middlebury women's lacrosse team won its sixth consecutive game this Saturday at Kohn Field, beating the Wesleyan Cardinals 19-6. The win earned the Panthers the top seed in the upcoming NESCAC tournament - the eighth straight for the team. Middlebury finishes off its regular season next Saturday at Tufts before the team hosts the NESCAC semifinals and finals on May 3 and 4.

"Wesleyan was feisty, but we took it upon ourselves to play our game from the first whistle," said co-captain Katherine Entwisle '08. "We dominated out there - our midfield connections looked awesome and the intensity was high the entire game."

Entwisle led the Panthers in goals on Saturday, scoring six and beginning the team's scoring streak. Wesleyan scored the first goal of the game less than one minute after the opening buzzer, boosting the Cardinals' confidence. Middlebury responded, however, four minutes later off a free position shot by Entwisle to tie the game at one.

The Panthers went on to score four more unanswered goals. Mimi Schatz '08 had three consecutive assists in the first 10 minutes of the game, setting up goals for Entwisle, first-year Sally Ryan '11 and Lindsay Winstead '10, while adding two goals of her own in the half. Ryan finished with four, netting the second-most goals for the team.

The Cardinals scored again 10 minutes into the first half, cutting the Panther lead to three. Middlebury responded with a streak of seven goals - two from co-captain Reid Berrien '08, who finished the game with a hat trick. The Panthers dominated the half, outscoring the Cardinals 12-2.

In the second half against Wesleyan, the Panthers were less dominant, but still outscored the Cardinals by three.

Again, Wesleyan had the first goal of the half, but the Cardinals' efforts were soon extinguished when Ryan responded with a pair of unassisted goals. Entwisle also had two unassisted goals in the half. Blair Bowie '09 had five saves and played for the majority of the game.

"It is good to know that we can keep our mental edge for an entire game while being up by a lot," said Entwisle. "We never let down, and I'm really proud of everyone on the team for putting forth their best effort."

Two weekends ago, Middlebury battled Trinity at Sheppard Field, winning by two in an impressive second-half comeback. The Panthers outscored the Bantams 7-1 to close the game, winning 13-11 in regular play. Dana Heritage '10 led the team with five goals, while Taylor Brown '11 helped maintain possession with seven draw controls.

After playing Trinity, the Panthers went on to beat Union last Wednesday, boosting team spirit as they battled past the eighth-ranked Dutchwomen. Middlebury came out strong, scoring the first three goals of the game and outscoring its opponent 12-4. Heritage finished the game with four goals, leading the Panther scoring unit. Entwisle and Schatz each scored three and were second in scoring for Middlebury.

The Panthers look to finish their season strong against Tufts this Saturday in Medford, Mass., and to continue to build momentum throughout the postseason.