Women's Lax sets out with 3-1 record

Author: Sarah Poling Luehrman

While many sunned themselves and took a break from Middlebury, the Panthers' women's lacrosse team played three games down in sunny Florida and one at Middlebury over Spring Break, losing only one of the four - their first regular season loss since April 2000.

"Losing to Salisbury was tough for us," says Senior Captain Caitlin McCormick, "because we are used to winning, but it challenged us to take our game to the next level against Colby and Connecticut College, and since the loss we have been playing much better."

The first game the Panthers played in West Palm was the rescheduled Gettysburg game, postponed from March 12 due to inclement weather. Middlebury won 12-9, with Kim Walker '07 and Allison Perencevich '06 scoring high on Gettysburg and Senior Captain Johanna Rosenfield contributing 11 saves in goal. The second match against Salisbury proved more difficult for the Panthers, their opponents entering the match as the second-ranked Division III team in the nation. The game was close, 12-10, but a surprise for the Panthers nonetheless. The score was tied for most of the first half until Salisbury scored four goals in a row, making the Panthers sweat to stay in the game. Middlebury came back to within two points of an even score only to let Salisbury take it back to a 12-8 lead with two scores in a row. The Panthers then scored two final goals to close the final margin to two. The Gulls were the only team throughout the trip to surpass Middlebury in shots, saves, ground balls and draw controls.

The Panthers were able to stomach the loss and come back with a fury the very next day to walk on Colby, 20-9. This, their first NESCAC game of the season, proved much less of a challenge than that they had faced the day before, and the Panthers scored high throughout. Midfielder Elizabeth Renehan '06 had an excellent game, scoring six goals, and Katherine Entwisle '08 added five. Rosenfield once again protected the victory with six saves in goal. A second NESCAC victory came upon return to Middlebury, where the Panthers began the home season with a 19-1 blowout against the Connecticut College Camels. Connecticut scored their first and only goal when Middlebury was already up three, and from then on there was no stopping the Panthers. In the little that remained of the first half, Middlebury scored nine straight goals, and the second half brought seven more with little trouble. Perencevich played yet another strong game for the Panthers, with a total of four goals and three assists, adding to Walker's three goals and Renehan's four assists. Renehan's total of ten goals over the course of the week earned her recognition as NESCAC Player of the Week.

The Panthers defeated Union College 17-5 on March 29 to improve to 4-1 on the season.

This coming Saturday on Peter Kohn Field Turf the Panthers will face Bates, a team that they should take care of easily if last year's 13-2 regular season victory is any indication. Middlebury stands undefeated within NESCAC over Bates, 0-1. The upcoming game is one of five remaining NESCAC match-ups before the league championships.