Field Hockey Faces Ephs in NESCAC Tournament

Author: Andrew Zimmermann

In what proved to be a battle neither team would soon forget, Middlebury topped Bates 3-2 in overtime of the first round of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) postseason tournament. By winning, the Panthers will face the number-two seed Williams College Ephs in what will be a rematch of a 3-1 loss Middlebury suffered on Oct. 12. In the other semifinal, tournament host and number-one seed Bowdoin will take on Wesleyan.
After a hard-fought win earlier in the season in Lewiston, Maine, Middlebury entered the game a favorite against the sixth seed. It did not take long, however, for both sides to realize postseason games take on a different meaning.
The first half saw tight play as both teams worked well on the defensive end. In an unlikely turn of events the only goal of the first half ironically came off a Bates defender. Ashley Lyddane '06, a presence all year for the Panthers, was credited with the goal that sent Middlebury into the half with a 1-0 lead.
The Bobcats did not take long to retaliate in the second half as Kathrene Tiffany converted a penalty against Panther goalie Jo Opot '05. Moments later, with more than 19 minutes left in the half, Middlebury snatched the lead away from Bates on a Sydney Atkins '05 tally. The play was assisted by Char Glessner '03.5, who was the leading scorer in NESCAC this season.
Determined to pull even again, Bates peppered the Middlebury goal at the 14-minute mark and eventually was rewarded as Annie Schauer came out of the calamity in front of the net, the hero for the Bobcats. Solid goaltending by Opot and her opponent for Bates made the final 14 minutes of regulation a scoreless affair.
Middlebury tenuously had overtime decide the fate of its season, a format that had given the Panthers trouble to the tune of a 1-2 record during the regular season. It was however, the senior leadership which ultimately brought Middlebury to the semifinals as Co-captain Kate Perine '03 slotted the game winner off a pass from Allison Smith '06. It was Perine's second goal of an important week in Middlebury field hockey.
The road to NCAA play will have to go through Williams in the one of the tournament's semifinals at Bowdoin on Saturday, Oct. 9. The game will start at 1:30 p.m. after the winner of Bowdoin vs. Wesleyan has been decided.
Middlebury will have to contain the duo of Tori Scott and Steff Noering, arguably the best one-two punch in the league. To do so will require an especially strong defensive showing from Opot and the backfield unit.
Unlike the Middlebury-Williams matchup in the regular season that was played on grass, this game take place on turf and cater to the Panthers' quick style of play. It also affords the Panthers a surface on which they are more than comfortable playing, having practiced on the Peter Kohn turf field throughout the season.
And, unlike the regular season contest between these two bitter rivals, the stakes will now be raised. While the winner will proceed to the NESCAC Championship game in hopes of pursuing both a league trophy and an NCAA tournament bid, the loser will go home empty-handed, without having the opportunity to play another game.