Torch '11, defense turn out the lights

Author: Lise Rosenberger

The women's soccer team surged ahead in its season with three shutouts this past week. With wins against Keene State and Wesleyan and a 0-0 tie against Skidmore, the Panthers' overall record improves to 2-3-2, giving them the momentum they were lacking at the season's beginning.

"We've definitely turned a corner," said co-captain Zoe Victor '09. "Everyone has been working hard and working together, and we've come together as a team."

The team's first win of the season - and first of the three shutouts on the week - happened at home last Wednesday Sept. 17 in a 2-0 non-conference win against Keene State. The scoreboard read 0-0 at the half, but Nora Tomlinson Weintraub '10 put the Panthers on the board about two minutes into the second half. Jenny Galgano '10 scored her first career goal and increased the lead in the 71st minute, which proved to be the final goal of the match. Goalkeeper Lauryn Torch '11 was solid in net, completing the shutout with four saves.

The winning and shutout streak continued into Middlebury's game against Wesleyan as the team once again dominated on its home turf to win 2-0.

"We listened to each other; we were connecting our passes and combining successfully for the majority of the game," Victor commented.

Middlebury established its lead 17 minutes into the game, as Galgano capitalized on a feed from Valerie Christy '10. Tomlinson Weintraub increased the lead at 60:15 to score the final goal of the game and seal the victory. Middlebury outshot Wesleyan 12-5, and Torch made two saves in goal. Despite the solid win, Victor believes that "we easily could have had a few more goals. We can't take anything for granted and need to capitalize on all of our opportunities."

The Panthers came out of their double-header this weekend with zero goals scored against them, pushing their shutout time to an overall 309 minutes of play. Though they were unable to pull out a win on Sunday, they put forth a valiant effort in their double-overtime non-conference draw against Skidmore, with 18 shots on goal compared to the Thoroughbreds' 12. Torch also came up big defensively with eight saves in goal, making her goals against average an impressive 0.84.

"We've finally pulled together and are playing as a team", Victor said. "Skidmore is a nationally ranked team, so not a bad result. It was a great game, hard fought by both teams. Torch had a great game."

As the Panthers move further into their season with two wins and three shutouts under their belt, they have picked up their play, both physically and mentally, and overcome their early jitters.

When asked who specifically contributed to this week's success, Victor unhesitatingly answered, "We were all in it. We've turned the corner, and we're excited about our upcoming games. We're just rolling ahead with the momentum we've got right now."