Field Hockey Looks to Bounce Back

Fifth-ranked field hockey had a Nescac doubleheader last weekend, Saturday, Sept. 16 and Sunday, Sept. 17. They started the weekend with a 2–1 road victory at Amherst on Saturday, but could not manage to recoup for their Sunday tilt with Hamilton. The 3–2 loss to the Camels snapped Middlebury’s 26 game home win streak, which dated back to 2014.

Against the Mammoths, who could not muster anything offensively in the first half, the Panthers struck first 12 minutes into the game when Audrey Quirk ’18 rebounded a penalty corner taken by Lauren Schweppe ’18.

Olivia Green ’20 talked about how the team’s execution of a new formation was a key to their success.

“We were really able to shut down Amherst’s top players and worked well together,” Green said. “We did a great job moving the ball around the field and connecting on our passes.”

The Mammoths did not manage to get on the board until late in the second half, but the tie did not last long as Kelly Coyle ’20 answered right back with a shot that railed into the back of the net. Coyle’s goal sealed a 2–1 Panther victory. The level of play was not as close as the score indicated though, with Middlebury finishing with a 17–7 shot advantage.

Middlebury could not enjoy the road victory for long, as not even 24 hours later they made the trek back to Kohn Field where they took on an increasingly formidable Hamilton team.

The team suffered its first setback of the season as Hamilton got on the board with 2 goals in the first half. Emma Johns ’20 closed out the half with a rebounded shot and gave the Panthers some momentum going into the next half.

Hamilton scored again 10 minutes into the second half, but Quirk made it a one-goal game with a minute remaining, as she tipped in a pass from Molly Freeman ’19. It was too little, too late.

“The captains did a great job at uniting the team at the end of the weekend,” said Green. They helped the team “keep our heads up high and look to the future instead of dwelling on the past.”

Middlebury will take their 2–1 conference record to Brunswick, Maine, on Saturday where faceoff is set for 11 a.m.