Field Hockey Crushes Hamilton in Playoffs, Extending Winning Streak to Over 11 Games

The third-ranked women’s field hockey team (15-1-1) went 3-0 in NESCAC play over the last two weeks, extending their win streak to 11 games. The Panthers began the run on Oct. 24, beating Bates 5-0 on the road, before finishing up regular season play on Oct. 28 with a 4-1 win over no. 20-ranked Williams. The NESCAC tournament began on Saturday, Oct. 31 where Middlebury beat Hamilton 8-1 in a quarterfinal match-up.

In the match-up against Bates, Annie Leonard ’18 was first to put the Panthers on the scoreboard, netting a goal in the 12th minute off an assist from Grace Jennings ’19. Pam Schulman ’17 was next for the Panthers offense, scoring her first of two goals for the day in the 14th minute, and putting Middlebury up 2-0. As the clock wound down, Schulman netted her second goal of the day off a penalty corner to give the Panthers up 3-0 lead at half.

After the start of the second half, both teams went scoreless for over 34 minutes, before the Panthers were able to find the net again. At 61:38, Leonard sent a beautiful reverse chip past Bobcat keeper Cristina Vega. Less than two minutes later, Susanna Baker ’19 secured the 5-0 victory for the Panthers off a pass from Audrey Quirk ’18.

“We have been practicing finishing in front of the cage lately, and it paid off,” Baker said. “Audrey sent the perfect pass from the end line to right in front of the net, which I was able to finish for a goal.”

Middlebury held a 13-1 advantage in shots, and edged Bates 8-1 in penalty corners. Katie Knox picked up three saves in the first half for the Bobcats, while Vega recorded one save in the second half. Panther goalkeeper Emily Miller ‘17 picked up the win without having to make a save for her fifth shutout of the season.

In their last game of the regular season, Middlebury scored four first-half goals in a 14-minute span to top Williams 4-1.
The Ephs came out strong in the first few minutes, when Brigid Bruno sent a shot from the left side that looked to be heading for the back of the net. Co-Captain Jillian Green ’16 made a quick defensive save, however, and kept the game scoreless. Molly Freeman ’19 started things offensively for the Panthers, putting in the first goal of the game in the 12th minute. This began a 14-minute goal-scoring spree for Middlebury, with Leonard finding the back of the net for a 2-0 lead. Bridget Instrum ’16 was next for the Panthers, swatting a ball out of midair in the 22nd minute for a 3-0 advantage. At the 24:49 mark, Williams had a great scoring opportunity, attempting to get on the board off a penalty stroke. Hannah Goodrick put the ball in past Panther goalie Miller, but officials ruled that Goodrick had committed an infraction and disallowed the goal. Middlebury closed out their scoring run a little over three minutes later, when Leonard collected a loose ball in front of the cage and sent it in. Williams scored their only goal in the 64th minute on a penalty corner that ended a Middlebury shutout streak of 437 minutes and 27 seconds, which spanned nearly six games.

The Panthers held a 15-6 advantage in shots and a 6-5 edge in penalty corners. Miller picked up the win for Middlebury with a pair of first-half saves, while Ephs goalie Margaret Draper finished with 10 stops.

The NESCAC Quarterfinal match-up against Hamilton on Saturday proved an easy win for the Panthers.

The game was scoreless for the first 14 minutes, before Middlebury went up 3-0 in less than five minutes. Jennings tallied the first goal for the Panthers, before Schulman added two of her own shortly after. In the 28th minute, Jennings put the Panthers on the board again, this time with a 4-0 advantage. Leonard followed shortly after, converting a cross pass from Schulman to give the Panthers a 5-0 lead at half. Audrey Quirk ’18 scored her first of the year early in the second half, off a pass from Jennings, before assisting Lauren Schweppe ’18 in a goal just over two minutes later. Quirk found the back of the net once again, completing a three goal run in under five minutes, to put the Panthers up 8-0. Casey Brown broke up the shutout for Hamilton, tapping in a crossing pass from Caroline Ames at 61:23.
Middlebury outshot Hamilton 20-2, and held a 11-1 advantage in penalty corners. Miller was forced to make just one save in goal for the Panthers, while Hamilton goalie Mary Kalb stopped six shots.

“Heading into the NESCAC tournament, we will look to maximize our team’s ability to connect throughout the field so that we control time of possession,” Head Coach Katherine DeLorenzo said. “We look directly to our seniors for their leadership, on and off the field, and to be at our best throughout the postseason. This team has some unique strengths that we hope will carry us well beyond where we are right now.”

With Saturday’s win, the Panthers advance to the NESCAC semifinals in Brunswick, where they will meet Tufts at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Bowdoin takes on Amherst at 11:00 a.m., and winners will play for the NESCAC crown on Sunday, Nov. 8.