The fifth-ranked Bowdoin women’s lacrosse team beat the third-ranked Panthers 14-8 in the NESCAC semifinals on Saturday, May 2, at Trinity. Despite the loss, the Middlebury team was given an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament — as well as a first-round bye — when selections were announced on Sunday, May 3.
Fresh off a quarterfinal victory over Colby, the Polar Bears played with great intensity on both sides of the ball. Bowdoin struck quickly scoring the game’s first goal just 1:40 into the first half. From that point on, Bowdoin never trailed once in the game.
Bridget Instrum ’16, who scored three goals in the the first half, tied it for the Panthers when she scored her first goal at 25:22 bringing the score to 1-1. However, the Polar Bears re-seized the lead, rolling off four straight goals before Instrum ended the run with her second goal of the game.
Then it became a back-and-forth scoring battle between Bowdoin and Middlebury. Despite another goal from Instrum followed by goals from Laurel Pascal ’16 and Mary O’Connell ’17, the Panthers went into the second half trailing 8-5.
The second half was a repeat of the first. Bowdoin’s dominating offensive play was supplemented with an all-but-impenetrable defense that allowed the Polar Bears to dominate the second half.
The Polar Bears struck first with a goal that stretched their lead to 9-5. An Alli Sciarretta ’16 goal reduced the deficit to three for Middlebury, but that turned out to be as close as the Panthers would get. From that point it seemed as if nothing went right for the Panthers as Bowdoin went on a 5-0 run bringing the score to 14-6 with 8:00 minutes left in the half. Delania Smith ’17 and Bea Eppler ’17 scored but it was clearly a case of too little and too late, as Middlebury fell by a 14-8 final.
Statistically the game was not as lopsided as the score would indicate. Bowdoin had 25 shots on goal to Middlebury’s 23. The difference was in the goaltending. The Bowdoin goalie simply shut the door on Middlebury, making 11 saves and scooping up three ground balls. By contrast Bowdoin’s offensive attack forced Middlebury to go through three goaltenders with Madeline Kinker ’16 playing the most minutes, allowing 11 goals and making three saves.
By beating Middlebury, Bowdoin ended a 32-game losing streak to the Panthers; it was the first time Bowdoin had beaten Middlebury since 1987.
After the weekend’s action, the NESCAC released its annual all-conference teams, with four Panthers earning recognition from the conference. Pascal and seniors Katie Ritter ’15 and Cat Fowler ’15 were included on the All-NESCAC first team, while O’Connell earned second-team recognition.
Additionally, Middlebury Head Coach Missy Foote — in her 35th and final season as the head women’s lacrosse coach at the College — was recognized as the NESCAC Coach of the Year. It is the sixth such honor for Foote. A 2012 inductee into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Foote will surely go down as one of the foremost coaches in the history of the sport when her time at Middlebury comes to a close later this spring.
The Panthers will look to rebound and potentially secure a second round victory in the NCAA tournament this Sunday, May 10 at home on Kohn Field. The Panthers will play the winner of MIT and Regis who meet in a first-round game earlier in the week.
The Panthers have bounced back with a victory after each of their three losses this year. They will need to keep that streak alive this weekend in order to extend their season for at least one more week.
