Colby First Victim in Women's Lax Title Run

Author: Kate Nerenberg

The Middlebury women's lacrosse team came out running on Saturday against Colby College, the first test that the defending national champs faced. Led by junior Char Glessner, who registered four goals, the Panthers sealed the win by holding Colby to one goal in the second half.

Although the Mules scored first, this was the only time they would be ahead, as Middlebury went on a scoring spree, led by Glessner and Kristin Hanley '03, who assisted on each other's goals at 10:15 and 12:43. Just a minute and a half later, Beth Seeley '05 scored the third goal in four minutes off a pass from Julia Bergofsky '02.

The Panthers stifled the Mules' offense until halfway through the second, but then responded from a Colby goal with goals in each of the next two minutes, by Dana Chapin '02 and Nuala O'Donohoe '04.

Both teams scored three more times before settling on a halftime score of 8-5, in Middlebury's favor. After some adjustments at the break, the Panthers exploded into the second half, picking up their defense and offense alike. Just 45 seconds into the half, Bergofsky took a pass from Hanley to put the Panthers ahead, 9-5. Only 2:30 later, Bergofsky struck again, this time assisted by Katie Simpson '03, giving Middlebury a more comfortable cushion of five goals. Coach Missy Foote recognized Simpson for her composure on offense, "settling the ball down and preventing turnovers."

Neither offense could find a way past the defense for the next 10 minutes of the game, until Glessner tallied her fourth goal and Hanley her third assist. Cara Dionisi of Colby picked up her third goal a minute later, the only time that the Mules were able to break past Middlebury's defense. Caitlin McCormick '05 ended the game on a high note by finding the back of the net in the last 10 seconds. Goalie Sarah Grenert '04 ended "an excellent game," according to Foote, with 17 saves and no broken clears.

Foote was happy with the way that her team adjusted to playing on grass, a huge difference from the turf that they have been practicing on. She was pleased with some aspects of the game more than others: "Our basic fundamental skills went well: passing and catching. However, we did not check well at all. We had too many fouls." The Panthers will have a chance to continue their success and improve their checking skills in their first home game this Thursday against Wesleyan. Beyond that, the team hosts Connecticut College on Saturday, before heading south to Florida for Spring Break.