Offensive effort falls short for women laxers

Author: Julia Ireland

The eighth-ranked women's lacrosse team lost to Union for the first time in the program's history last Thursday and similarly could not get on track Saturday as they were defeated by Tufts, 12-7.

Middlebury had previously held an unblemished 33-0 record over Union, who is currently ranked 15th, but could not make it 34 straight against the Dutchwomen.

Union tallied the first goal of the game just one minute in when Kristin Joyce scored her 23rd goal of the season. Middlebury, however, did not waste any time in answering as Sally Ryan '11 scored for the Panthers to tie it. The Dutchwomen scored the next two only to have the Panthers tie it up again. Both teams scored once more before the end of the half, heading into intermission deadlocked at four.

The second half was not nearly as close. Union scored four goals to gain a commanding 8-4 lead. Middlebury would trail for the remainder of the game, although both teams would trade goals throughout the half. Dana Heritage '10 made a solid offensive push for the Panthers late in the half to bring Middlebury to within two, but Joyce rescued Union with another goal.

Elizabeth Garry '12 scored her 16th goal of the season toward the end of the half, but Union once again managed to keep the lead despite Garry's goal and another Middlebury goal from Chase Delano '11. Late goals by Dutchwomen Jill LaForest and Chelsea Charette ensured that Middlebury did not make a late comeback.

Six different players scored for Middlebury in the contest, yet the game still ended in a 12-8 defeat for the visiting Panthers. Union goaltender Cat Ruggiero made 13 saves for the Dutchwomen while Panther Blair Bowie '09 made seven.

"The loss to Union was definitely a wake-up call, and we worked really hard at practice on Friday to prepare for Tufts," said attacker Lindsay McBride '09. "The heart and aggressiveness we lacked against Union was there at Tufts, but we still had trouble executing on attack."

Although they brought a reinvigorated effort against Tufts on Saturday, Middlebury was nonetheless unable to upset the seventh-ranked Jumbos, falling by a 12-7 margin.

"Everyone showed up to play on Saturday," said defender Carrie Sparkes '10. "We certainly played a tough game, we just made a few too many mistakes to come home with a win."

Unlike at Union, it was Middlebury who opened the scoring, as Delano netted two quick back-to-back goals. However, 20 minutes into the game, Tufts had tied it at three.

From this point onward, Tufts seemed to redirect the game's momentum in their favor. Scoring four unanswered goals, with Jumbos Emily Johnson and Courtney Thomas each contributing two, Tufts cruised into halftime with a 7-4 lead.

Middlebury generated some offense in the beginning of the second half but another offensive burst from Tufts gave the Jumbos a commanding 11-5 advantage. Amanda Roberts '11 converted a free-position shot to earn Tufts its 11th goal of the game.

Middlebury was able to steal two late goals, but the Jumbo defense remained strong, anchored by sophomore goalie Sarah Bloom, who made 11 saves in the game. Allowing only seven Panther goals, Tufts held Middlebury to its lowest goal total so far this season.

The win over Middlebury is Tufts' 10th victory of the season against just one loss, making them tied with Colby for first place in the NESCAC.

"[Head Coach Missy Foote] was disappointed because we did not play to the best of our ability in each game," McBride said of the two losses. "Right now we are just looking to regain our offensive confidence. In these games, the offensive spark was missing, so we will be working to get that back this week."

"The team is focusing on [Foote's] mentality that 'all is not lost,'" added Sparkes. "We have a few big games to play this week, and we need to go out and play as we all know how to do."

The Panthers have three more regular season games left, all against NESCAC teams. They will take the field next at home against Amherst on April 15 at 4:45 p.m.