Panther season comes to a close in Williamstown

Author: Lise Rosenberger

The Middlebury College women's soccer team saw its season come to an end this past Saturday, as it lost to second-seeded Amherst College 1-0 in the NESCAC semifinals. The Panthers end their season with a record of 8-6-2, while Amherst advanced in the tournament to face top-seeded Williams. The Lord Jeffs fell to the Ephs in the NESCAC finals, 3-2.

The first half didn't see any scoring from either side of the field, as the game remained deadlocked until the last thirteen minutes. Amherst's Meg Murphy took charge at that point, scoring off of a left-side feed from her teammate Jess Wall. Murphy cut back into the center and fired the ball into the lower left corner of the goal, just out of reach of Middlebury goaltender Lauryn Torch '11. Murphy's goal marked her eleventh of the season and makes her the leading scorer for Amherst. The lone goal proved all that was necessary to cement the win for Amherst and punch its ticket to the NESCAC finals.

From the beginning, Amherst took control of the game, outshooting the Panthers 8-1 in the first half and 14-8 over the course of the game. Middlebury got a dose of bad luck when an early goal by the Panthers in the first half was negated by the refs due to a questionable off-sides penalty. Anne Ford '10 shot from the right side of the field, and the ball rebounded off of the hands of Amherst's goalkeeper Allie Horwitz. The rebound was collected by Middlebury's Paola Cabonargi '10 from the far post as she one-touched the ball into the goal, but her rebound shot was called off-sides. Torch's stellar play in goal left the match scoreless at the half.

The play in the second half was more evenly matched, as both Middlebury and Amherst fought for the first goal of the game. After Murphy's goal, the Panthers pressured Amherst in an attempt to tie the game, but Amherst's defense held off Middlebury's late advances. Amherst's goaltender finished with four saves for her team, while Torch finished with three for Middlebury.

"The match was extremely hard fought and a good game," senior tri-captain Zoe Victor '09 reflected. "They're a good team, but we could've beaten them … but that's just how soccer is."

"Sometimes the results just depend on the day," she continued. "Still, it feels like the season is ending a little bit early. It's always sad to see your season come to an end, especially as a senior."

Despite an ending some would argue to be too early for the Panthers, they leave the 2008 season with a winning record and numerous hard-fought wins under their belt.