Whether there was magic in the air to celebrate the graduating seniors or a laser focus on securing the top seed in the NESCAC, the stars aligned for No. 1 women’s lacrosse (13–0) on Saturday in a fiercely anticipated matchup against No. 4 Colby (11–2). In what was expected to be a bloodbath for the conference lead, Middlebury dominated, 13–5, maintaining their perfect season record and taking another step towards NCAAs.
Sophie MacKeigan ’22 summed up the win as the team’s “most complete game across the board [so far], from offense to defense to goalkeeping to draws.”
Jane Earley ’23 shattered her own record with a career-high six goals and one assist. After two quick goals by Earley to kick off the first quarter, the Panthers quickly found their rhythm to end the quarter with a 3–1 advantage. The Panthers took off running in the second quarter, shutting out the Colby offense and putting up four goals after Susan Rowley ’23, Kelcey Dion ’25, and Maggie Coughlin ’24 joined Earley and Erin Nicholas ’22 on the board.
Despite a pair of quick goals from the Mules in the third quarter and two more in the fourth, tallies from Grace Getman ’22, Anna Spehr ’25, and Nicholas, in the second half, secured the commanding win. Coupled with an offense on fire, the Panthers showed no signs of weakness with goalie Gina Driscoll ’24 in the net, who totaled eight saves.
The Panthers offense and defense ran like well-oiled machines this weekend, but according to Coughlin, the chemistry off the field was just as critical. Reflecting on the team’s success so far Coughlin cited the collective trust, hustle and composure as the keys to the cohesiveness that sets them apart from their competitors.
“We are always looking to be more creative and more dynamic on the field, and the culture that we have created here makes everyone confident to try something new,” Coughlin said.
Looking ahead, women’s lacrosse remains hungry for hardware at the end of the season. With the postseason on the horizon, the team continues to exude level-headedness and confidence. Like many of her teammates, Coughlin is looking forward to taking their last regular season games one at a time, and when the post season rolls around, knows the team will be excited and ready for top-notch competition.
After a killer showing this weekend in honor of the Class of 2022, women’s lacrosse is worth keeping your eyes on. Up next, the Panthers travel to No. 19 Amherst (9–4) on April 23, then conclude their season with a road matchup against Williams (4–7) on April 27. Game times are 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively.
