Panthers fall in 2OT battle

Author: Ryan W. Reese

The women's field hockey team was well aware that they were faced with a tall order this past weekend. The Panthers were slated to play host to their counterparts from the far north as Maine's NESCAC contingent rolled into town. After the weekend was over, the Panthers knew they would only have four conference games remaining. The importance of these matches against Maine need not be explained. After the dust settled Sunday evening, the Panthers had taken one step forward and one step back.

Saturday came and the White Mules of Colby found their way to Peter Kohn Field. With them, they brought a talkative and bothersome monkey on their back constantly reminding them that no team from Colby had beaten Middlebury in the last seven years. When they got back on the bus after the game, the monkey was still there. The home team steamrolled Colby in a comprehensive and resounding 4-1 free-for-all that saw four different Panther goal scorers. There was never any doubt that coach Catherine DeLorenzo's squad would prevail as they wasted little time getting on the board.

Reid Berrien '08 made her presence known throughout the first half as she assisted on a Claire Edelen '07 strike before going in unassisted to score one for herself. The beginning of the second half was a brief respite from the torrential rain of shots that bombarded the Mules' cage. Colby scored their lone goal before the storm returned with skillful knocks from Nina Daugherty '08 and Ashley Lyddane '06.

The senior commented, "It is always good to beat Colby. We felt that the we were really coming together as a team and really playing as a unit."

When all was said and done, Middlebury's stat sheet clearly told the tale. They had pounded Colby with 12 shots and had only seen 3 Mule attempts on goal. With an aggressive offensive output such as this, there was never any chance that the women from Waterville would take home a victory.

After this confidence building "W," Middlebury realized that Sunday would be a day of reckoning. The Panthers were touted as the sixth best team in the nation and would square off against the team that sat only seven spots back. "Bowdoin is always a really tough team and we knew that it was going to be tight. We were both sitting at the top of the NESCAC before the game," said Lyddane. The Polar Bears had been looking forward to Oct. 2 for months and had been staring up the polls at Middlebury for long enough. The Panthers' 18 game NESCAC win streak stood as a reminder of Champlain Valley superiority and Bowdoin was not ready to become win number 19.

The game was a battle of determined foes for the entire first half, with neither side willing to give an inch. There were still matching goose eggs adorning the scoreboard as the teams retired for the half. With renewed energy and determination, the Panther women struck first with a triumphant goal from none other than Lyddane. The Greenwich, Conn. native, who has led the Panthers in scoring from the season's opening day, hammered home her seventh of the year. Moments later the gritty Polar Bears leveled the scales once again. Only minutes after the equalizer, Middlebury's offensive juggernaut hit the turf after a questionable hook from behind. Lyddane went down hard and her knee took the brunt of the impact. After the game, she was diagnosed with a torn ACL and the senior attacker's final season ended earlier than expected.

After an entire overtime, the score was still knotted at ones and both teams were unable to capitalize on their respective chances. Double overtime followed and the Polar Bears found a way to get through the Panther defense to tip home the winner. It was a disappointing loss for the Panther women, but there is no doubt that Sunday's game will provide enough motivation for the remainder of the season.

With the loss of a senior who happened to be the leading goal scorer, others will rise to the call, and as a result of this double overtime loss to a rival, there need not be any pep talks prior to the upcoming conference games. They will be playing with a vengeance and there is little doubt that the rest of the NESCAC will feel the heat.