The second-ranked Middlebury women’s lacrosse team once again dominated on Kohn Field Saturday April 11, against NESCAC opponent Bates. The bleachers and sidelines were packed with barely any room to stand due to the visiting alumni who were there to celebrate Head Coach Missy Foote’s farewell tour. The crowd was not disappointed while watching the Panthers trump Bates with a staggering 18-6 victory. The victory brings the Panthers to a 10-1 record, winning the last 10 straight games and pushed them to the number two in the national rankings.
Laurel Pascal ’16 started the game off strong with a quick goal to kickstart positive momentum for the team. Mary O’Connell ’17 and Katie Ritter ’15 followed soon after with two goals. Bates responded with a goal of their own, making the score 3-1. This slight comeback did not defeat the Panthers; rather, it motivated them to score five-straight goals in a 2:09 span. The team kept this up until the last 0:50 seconds of the half when Bates scored however, Hailey Cosseboom ’17 added one for the home team off an assist from Ritter. The Panthers refused to let up offensively, and made sure to finish the first half with a comfortable 12-2 lead.
The Panthers continued to apply pressure in the second half. O’Connell added two quick goals to start the second half, and the team went on a run again scoring two more goals from Ritter and Bridget Instrum ’16 putting the Panthers up 16-2. Although Bates ended up scoring four goals in the second half, the Panthers managed to hold them off and grab another victory by a final score of 18-6.
O’Connell once again dominated the game with a career- high six goals to help the Panthers to victory. Pascal also scored three goals while Ritter, Instrum and Cosseboom added two apiece. Ritter finished the game with a career-best five assists and earned a game-high five draw controls. Madeleine Kinker ’16, with the help of the Panther’s lockdown defense, made three saves in her 46 minutes of play. Kinker “has been playing so well, and has really stepped up this season and continues to impress us. Having her in the goal really eases the pressure on the defense because we know that time and time again she is there to get that difficult save,” Catherine Fowler ’15 said.
The defense this season cannot be left unnoticed. Middlebury is not only ranked number one in offense, they are also number one in goals against in the league, which is a large aspect of the Panthers’ success this season. Maggie Caputi ’16 attributed this success to “practicing different defensive variations and perfecting all the little things [as well as their] constant improvement as a defensive unit.”
The Panthers have been more determined than ever with just three games left in NESCAC conference play. The team “plans to stay focused by taking it one game at a time” and maintaining their “focus on the task at hand,” Fowler said.
“The win against Bates was much more than just a win to the team,” it was a win in front of several generations of Middlebury women’s lacrosse players, Bea Eppler ’17 said. With over 150 alumni in attendance for Missy’s farewell dinner, the Panthers “wanted to come out strong and come away with a big win to show all of [their] alumni a true Middlebury lacrosse game,” Fowler added.
That night, several of alumni celebrated Missy’s extraordinary 38 year coaching career, during which she became the third-most winning coach is all Division Three sports.
Eppler was humbled and “amazed to see how many people have been and still are affected by Missy, not only as a coach but as an individual. Listening to the alumni share their stories about Missy, many of which resonated with me and my teams, was an unforgettable experience. We are all so lucky to be a part of the legacy of Missy Foote, which will undoubtedly live on forever.”
The celebrations continued on Sunday, as the current Panthers watched some of their old teammates as well as several generations of Middlebury lacrosse players duel it out in their alumni game, in which nearly 50 players participated. Hannah Deoul ’14, a captain of the team last year, traveled all the way from Israel to watch the Panthers and celebrate Missy’s farewell tour. Deoul said that “being here this weekend for a celebration of everything Missy Foote was an absolute honor. Hearing members of her first team ever to the current Middlebury Women’s Lacrosse team speak about her constant inspiration and lasting impact on them proved to me that Missy Foote IS the real deal. Her legacy has created connections for hundreds of her players and bonded them through their experiences under her coaching.”
With such a memorable and exciting weekend the Panthers are looking to focus back in and prepare for their games this week with two road games, one on Wednesday, April 15 at Hamilton and the other at Trinity on Saturday, April 18.
