Women's lacrosse hands Bears a loss

Author: Julia Ireland

The Middlebury women's lacrosse team added another victory to their winning streak against Bowdoin College this past Saturday at home on Peter Kohn Field, as they bested the Polar Bears by a score of 16-9. The Panthers now hold an authoritative 27-2 all-time record against Bowdoin, including 26 wins in a row.

Middlebury proved their ability to bounce back after two losses over spring break. After losing a tough road game at Washington and Lee by a one-goal margin and dropping a double-overtime thriller to rival Colby College, the Panthers were ready to get revenge. After a rough week, that is exactly what they did against the Polar Bears.

While it was Bowdoin who opened the scoring in the first half, their 2-1 lead did not last long. Middlebury did not take long to reverse the momentum of the game, responding with nine unanswered goals to take a 10-2 lead before halftime. Attacker Sally Ryan '11 contributed three goals to Middlebury's effort, while Elizabeth Garry '12 added two goals to the spurt and Dana Heritage '10 tallied a goal and an assist. This scoring spurt would prove to last Middlebury for the duration of the half.

The first half ended with Middlebury ahead 11-3, but it was the Polar Bears who once again opened the scoring in the second half when Lindsay McNamara converted a free position shot. Middlebury again answered right away when Heritage and Ryan each scored again to give the Panthers a 13-4 lead.

Bowdoin, however, did not give up without a fight, rallying to make an offensive push as the clock wound down. The Polar Bears notched four unanswered goals in an attempt to get back in the game. Bowdoin's first two goals were scored on free position shots while the final two came from the stick of Katie Herter to cut Middlebury's lead to 13-8 with 11:45 remaining in the game.

Bowdoin's comeback, however, stopped there. Despite the goals allowed, the Panther defense remained strong and solid in front of their net. "Bowdoin gained some momentum toward the end of the second half with a four-goal run, but our defense responded well under the pressure," said Chase Delano '11. Senior goalie Blair Bowie '09 stayed strong in net for the Panthers, recording 11 saves for the game.

With the strong support of the defense, Middlebury's offense was able to do their part to secure the win despite an invigorated effort by Bowdoin's attackers. The Panthers scored three goals late in the game to send Bowdoin home, and Delano added two crucial goals in a final scoring run to secure the victory for the Panthers. Lindsay McBride '09 also added another insurance goal for the Panthers.

"We had a strong enough lead in goals which allowed us to take our time possessing the ball on offense and take back control of the game," Delano said.

Despite some sporadic offense generated by Bowdoin, Middlebury demonstrated that it was the better team throughout the contest, maintaining a relatively sizeable advantage over the Polar Bears and ending the game with a definitive seven-point margin of victory.

Middlebury now improves to 5-2 on the season, including four wins and only one loss in the NESCAC. Their next conference competition will take place at Tufts on April 11, but Middlebury will next take the field on April 9 at Union at 4:15 p.m.