Water polo preps for its N.E. championship

Author: Jake Cohen

The Middlebury women's water polo team impressively won its own invitational this past weekend with poise, command and authority. The Panthers captured the victory in each of the four games they played, including a nailbiter against perennial rival Yale. The success in this past weekend's competition and a solid showing in a tournament earlier this year makes Middlebury the number-one seed and clear favorite heading into the New England championship this upcoming weekend at Wesleyan.

In the New England division three teams usually emerge each year as the title contenders - Middlebury, Yale and Dartmouth. This year, Middlebury is unquestionably the team to beat. After a punishing 8-1 win in the opening game against Williams, the Panthers suited up to play the biggest match of the tournament on Saturday night versus Yale.

From the first swim off, the crowd knew this showdown would be electrifying. After a series of fantastic defensive stings by Middlebury and some crucial errors by the Bulldogs, the Panthers were able to capitalize on rare opportunities and made a statement with a tight 5-3 victory.

The success of Middlebury at its own invitational is particularly important this year. Jeannie LaPlante '08, who has been playing on the team since her first year, never played on a team in quite this situation. "We are an incredibly young team," said LaPlante. "After graduating nine seniors last year, we have a ton of new players, many of which have never even played together."

The women spent their spring break on a training trip in Florida working on fundamentals and learning to integrate many different styles.

"At the beginning of the season, the starting lineup had five girls who had never played together," said LaPlante. But the hard work down south and the victory against Yale have truly united this team.

Three younger players emerged this weekend as standout performers. Amelia Noble '11 played solid defense, contributing to a team- low of six goals allowed over the four games. It should be noted that there were an average of 11.58 goals scored per game over the course of the tournament, but Middlebury only allowed 1.5 goals per game.

Much of the credit to the defensive prowess of the Panthers goes, naturally, to goalie Kristen LaPlante '10, who made a number of fantastic saves to ensure an undefeated weekend. Additionally, Sarah Black '10 played the driver position impressively.

"She had a great weekend and scored a significant portion of Middlebury goals," said Jeannie LaPlante. "Her decision making and drives were quick and efficient."

All in all, this weekend was a screaming success for the water polo program. Every single Middlebury player scored at least once - a testament to the offensive versatility of the team. The Panthers have been annually notorious for their momentum-breaking defense, which proved to be insurmountable once again.

If Middlebury is able to capture its first in the New England title, the team will head onto the national competition in Oregon later this spring.