With a big defeat over Colby this past Saturday, the Middlebury field hockey team will advance on to the semifinal round of the NESCAC tournament. The Panthers defeated the Mules 4-1 at home on Peter Kohn field to secure their progression in the tournament.
An early goal for the Panthers scored by Annie Leonard ’18 came just three minutes into the game and would put them ahead of the Mules for the remainder of the game. The goal was made possible by an assist off of Bridget Instrum ’16 who carried the ball all the way from the defensive to the attacking end before crossing it in front of the cage to be tapped in by Leonard.
No scoring occurred for the following 22 minutes as the two teams battled it out on the field, competing for the opportunity to prolong their seasons and advance to the NESCAC semifinals. Colby fought hard on attack with a close shot coming at the 20th minute when a player was able to carry the ball down the right side of the field into the goal area. However Panther goalie Emily Knapp ’15 deflected the shot.
26 minutes into the game with a 1-0 lead, the Panthers drew a penalty corner that would be followed with a goal. Alyssa DiMaio ’15 passed a beautiful corner to Anna Kenyon ’16 who passed on the ball to Shannon Hutteman ’16 who hit the back of the net from 15 yards out. The Panthers’ success off of the corner is a testament to their talent this season, and ability to generate goals from strategic corner plays.
Only nine minutes into the second half of play, the Panthers added another goal to the tally with a 3-0 lead over the Mules. Cat Fowler ’15 took a strong drive to goal, which was initially stopped by the mule’s goalie. The rebound of the save then returned to Fowler, who shot again with a reverse sweep shot to earn a goal. In the 55th minute of play in the game Fowler again found the back of the goal in what would be the final Panther goal of the day, making the score 4-0. This goal counted as Fowler’s 16th on the season, putting her first on her team and fourth in the league in goals scored.
The Mules found their only goal of the game in the 59th minute when they were able to draw a penalty corner which resulted in a successful shot from 20 yards out. Despite the setback, the Panthers clinched a 4-1 victory, and advancement into the conference semifinals.
“I think were all really looking forward to taking on Trinity and trying to win our third straight NESCAC championship this weekend,” Olivia Jurkowitz ’17 said.
Instrum commented further on the importance of the weekend’s semifinal matchup to the Panthers’ overall season goals.
“This upcoming weekend will be the highest level of competition we will have faced all season, and will really test our abilities,” Instrum said. “We as a team are really motivated to work hard and prepare all week to make each other better as a team.”
The Panthers simply do not seem ready to let their season end, at least not without putting up a battle.
The second-seeded Panthers take on the third-seeded Trinity Bantams on Saturday, Nov. 8 in Brunswick, ME.
