Field Hockey Sustains Jumbo NESCAC Loss

Middlebury (8-2) stomached a 4-2 loss to last year’s national champion Tufts Jumbos (7-1) on Saturday, Oct. 5 but recovered to celebrate a 5-0 win against M.I.T. on Sunday Oct. 6.

The team covered many miles, both literally and figuratively. The trip to Boston and back was a long one, during which the team learned a great deal about how to motivate and prepare for their four remaining regular-season games.  Although the Tufts game frustrated and embarrassed the Panthers, Sunday’s complete performance absolved their blunders and razzed the team with rediscovered confidence.  Anna Kenyon ’16 returned strongly to action after knee surgery while Bridget Instrum ’16 and Katherine Theiss ’14 also energized the Panthers with flashes of exceptional field hockey.

Middlebury opened with a less than bouncy start on the rubbery field turf of Tufts on Saturday.  The small flecks of recycled tire beneath the artificial grass slowed the pace, to the Panthers’ dismay, and handcuffed their skillful passing style of play against the more physical Jumbos.

Tufts pounded into Middlebury’s zone early to earn a penalty stroke, but goaltender Emily Knapp ’15 dove to her left to keep the game scoreless.  No defensive heroics could ignite the offense, and the first half ended 1-0 for Tufts with just three shots for Middlebury.

“We did not step off the bus ready to play.  We started with pretty low energy,” said offensive force Catherine Fowler ’15.

Fowler helped to rally the team briefly in the second half by dishing to Theiss for a goal.  However, Tufts would respond immediately to score three goals in twelve minutes, one goal coming far too easily on an inexplicable defensive lapse on a Tufts corner play. In the last seven minutes, the four Middlebury forwards finally tapped into the fight, earning a corner for Pam Schulman ’17 to smack home, but Tufts clamped the potential comeback into just a final whimper.

“I prefer to lose now in the regular season than in the postseason because it gives us a chance to learn,” Fowler said.

Last years team went all regular season without losing, and the first loss against Depauw in the NCAA Regional caught them by lethal surprise.

After the game on Saturday, the team joined heads for 30 minutes to discuss the loss, during which they all agreed that the team’s preparation was lackluster.

“We need to play for the full seventy minutes,” said Kenyon, referring to the sluggish start on Saturday.  “Also, we spoke about the difference between deciding to win rather than assuming we are going to.”

On Sunday, Middlebury returned to form by deciding to demolish an unsuspecting M.I.T. team. Theiss redirected a long drive from Fowler in the 13th minute that jumped above the M.I.T. goalie and propelled Middlebury to a hot start.  Unlike other teams that have packed in defensively against Middlebury, M.I.T. left enough space for the Panthers to score some pretty goals on the run rather than hitting shins or feet and needing to score on corner plays.

Instrum brought Middlebury ahead 2-0 before the second half by gutsily stealing the ball near the midfield line and weaving through a slew of defenders between her and the M.I.T. goal line before fooling the keeper. Schulman and Fowler coordinated a surge of scoring just after halftime, scoring two goals in under one minute to push the Panthers to a four goal lead. For the last word, Lauren Berestecky ’17 received a pass from Ellie O’Brien ’14 and scooped a nifty backhander into the corner for her fourth tally of the season.

The bus ride back from M.I.T. bore little resemblance to the scene a day earlier, the players and even head coach Katharine DeLorenzo taking turns at the bus microphone for karaoke.  Fittingly, the coach gave a rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” allegorically describing the highs and lows of Middlebury’s season so far.

The Panthers happily return to their native turf next weekend to play Trinity on Saturday, Oct. 12 and Hamilton on Sunday, Oct. 13, the last two home games of the regular season.