Women's Lacrosse

The Middlebury Panthers have high expectations for their 2011 season. They are led by co-captains Sally Ryan ’11 and All NESCAC Chase Delano ’11, both of whom are excited to prove what they are capable of doing in what should be a highly competitive NESCAC. The team is bigger this year, welcoming eight first-years and two sophomores into their already admirable line-up. Both Delano and Ryan see potential for great success everywhere on the field. Stephanie Gill ’12 led the NESCAC last year in draw controls and will help lead the offense along with Delano, Elizabeth Garry ’12 and Ellen Halle ’13. The midfield is fueled by impressive speed and endurance; Ryan believes the squad “will definitely be able to out run a lot of other teams.”
Joining Ryan in the midfield is a strong sophomore class including Margaret Souther ’13, Michaela Colbert ’13 and Heather Marrison ’13. The field is anchored by a solid defense including Lucy Jackson ’12, Neile Weeks ’13, Hannah Epstein ’12 and rookie Hannah Deoul ’14. Together, they control the field in front of All- Pilgrim Region goalie Lily Nguyen ’13, who had the best save percentage in the NESCAC last year.
The Panthers finished last season with an 8-7 record after a tight 9-8 loss to the Colby Mules in the NESCAC Quarterfinal game. Despite graduating a lot of talent, including Dana Heritage ’10, Kasey Rischmann ’10 and Catherine Gotwald ’10, the team is ready to compete in one of the toughest conferences in DIII lacrosse by using the previous season as motivation. Garry says, “We learned a lot from last season and know what we need to do to be the team that we want to be.”
The Panthers open their season this weekend at Bates. After falling to the Bobcats 11-9 in the opener last year, Delano cites this match up against Bates as “vital … not only to redeem ourselves, but also to start off the season with momentum from a NESCAC win under our belts.”
Moreover, the matchup this year is personal. After losing assistant coach Heidi Howard to the Bobcats before last season, the Panthers picked up Morgan Maciewitz as the new assistant coach. Joining Missy Foote and Katherine DeLorenzo in the coaching staff, Maciewicz graduated last year from Bates and was a four-year member as well as senior captain for both the field hockey and lacrosse teams. Delano and Ryan are ready to step on the field Saturday, confident that the team’s ability and determination will lead them to a great season.