Field hockey falls to Trinity in NCAA duel

After a tremendous season of hard-fought battles and uplifting performances, the 2009 Middlebury field hockey season came to an end last weekend with a 2-1 loss to Trinity in an NCAA regional game at Ursinus. The team had a stellar year, despite a rocky start. It lost to Tufts in the season opener, rebounded quickly to beat Springfield in their second game, but then lost again to Trinity 2-0.

After Trinity, the Panthers found their form and went on a strong five-game winning streak. Losing to Amherst was just a quick bump in the road, and come October, they turned on the burners again for another extremely high-scoring five-game win streak, outscoring their opponents 30-8.

That ended regular season play, and although hopes were high as they entered the playoffs, they suffered a disappointing loss to Williams in the first round. With such a loss, a chance at NCAA playoffs seemed slim, but their hard work throughout the season paid off and they were given a bid.

After plowing straight through UMass-Dartmouth last Wednesday in a killer 5-1 victory on Peter Kohn Field, the Panthers prepared themselves for the road trip to regionals. Morale was running high and the girls were pumped to travel down to Pennsylvania to play Trinity at the neutral site.

Saturday’s game was a tough one to watch, as Middlebury struggled to contain the Trinity offense early on. Junior Robyn Williams scored early for the Bantams off a penalty corner just three minutes into the match. Sixteen minutes later, sophomore Payson Sword tipped in a shot giving Trinity a 2-0 lead.

Middlebury came out fighting in the second half, controlling the ball and keeping it up in their offensive end. Chase Delano ’11 put Middlebury on the board for the first time, deflecting a shot from co-captain Mullery Doar ’10. Both teams fought relentlessly throughout the remaining 25 minutes of play, and with only three minutes to go, Middlebury pulled its goalie in an attempt to gain an advantage. They earned a flurry of penalty corners during those last few minutes, including one that marked the end of the game. Despite the attempts, Middlebury was unable to execute in those final seconds. The game ended with Middlebury outshooting Trinity 19-8.

Despite the final score of Saturday’s game, Middlebury succeeded in many other ways throughout the year. The team boasts strong statistical achievements, finishing with a 12-5 overall record, 63 goals, four players named to the all-NESCAC squad, two NESCAC players of the week and one NESCAC rookie of the year.

Emily Blair ’12 earned first-team NESCAC squad while her teammates Lauren Greer ’13, Chase Delano ’11 and Heather MCormack ’10 earned second-team honors. Greer was also named rookie of the year for her performance on the attacking line. She scored 18 goals in the team’s 17 games and is ranked 16th nationally for goals per game.

As the seniors say goodbye to their athletic career at Middlebury, the younger girls look forward to next season and the prospect of finally clinching that elusive NCAA championship. They have a year to prepare and will return next fall poised and ready to fight.