Women's soccer shuts out Trinity

Author: Lise Rosenberger

Coming off a hard fought 1-0 loss to Williams College on Friday, the Panthers were nonetheless optimistic taking on Trinity, their first opponent in the NESCAC playoffs. "We felt really good coming off of Williams and going into our game against Trinity," tri-captain Tiffany Orlowski '09 said. "Besides one lapse in the sixth minute where Williams scored, we held our own, broke up their attack, and had opportunities to score ourselves." Despite their loss against Williams only two days before, the Panthers refocused their energy to their first playoff match and defeated Trinity 2-0. The Panthers now own an 8-5-2 overall record and advance in the NESCAC playoffs, while Trinity ended its season at of 9-6.

The mentality that Orlowski voiced in the Williams game proved to be the driving force behind the Panthers' victory over Trinity. The shutout marks the Panthers' third NESCAC shutout in their past four matches and sets the standard for the rest of their playoff run.

Despite several opportunities in the first half of play on Sunday, neither team could find the net. "In the first half, we weren't quite ready to deal with their physical play, and our possession and composure suffered because of it. They were very threatening in our half, and had some opportunities to score," Orlowski stated.

Trinity had some key opportunities to start the scoring within the first ten minutes of the match that could have resulted in an early lead. "During the first half of the game, Trinity competed really hard with us and they had some good looks, but fortunately, our goaltender prevented any goals," tri-captain Caitlin Parker '08.5 noted. Keeper Lauryn Torch's '11 stellar play in goal left the score 0-0 at the half.

The Panthers regrouped with two goals in the second half which sealed the win. Margaret Owen '10 scored thirteen minutes into the second half, assisted by Lindsay Rotherham '09, which gave the Panthers the lift they needed. Parker tallied the second and final goal of the game for the Panthers off of an assist by Valerie Christy '10 almost twenty minutes into the second half.

Despite some later threats by Trinity, the Panthers defense held strong. Torch made one save in goal for the Panthers, while Trinity's goalie Emily Weedon held back five shots on goal.

The Panthers move on to face the Lord Jeffs of Amherst this Saturday, Nov. 8 at Williams, while the host Ephs will play Bowdoin. Middlebury's match against Trinity certainly will not be forgotten as the Panthers look ahead in tournament play. According to Parker, "I think that it was great to play a team that was so physical because it will remind us of how physical we will have to be in the upcoming match against Amherst. It will encourage us to really get after each other in practice this week."