Pfaff '09 ices Polar Bears with hat-trick

Author: James Kerrigan

The women's soccer team had an undefeated parent's weekend with two solid performances. Both opponents were seated higher than Middlebury coming into the weekend. After 110 minutes on Saturday, the women played Colby to a tie on Sunday, the Panthers exploded for three goals on their way to a win over rival Bowdoin and climbed up the NESCAC table.

Finishing chances has been the team's Achilles heel so far this season, but this weekend was a welcomed improvement. First-year Ashley Pfaff, who scored three of the four goals this weekend, said, "In the past couple of weeks we have definitely been dominating some of the teams that we have been playing, and despite out-shooting them we were ending up with ties or 0-1 losses. With four goals in two games, we are confident that we have moved beyond that scoring slump. It is definitely a huge step in the right direction."

Saturday brought sunny skies and a close battle on Dragone Field. The Mules and the Panthers both generated numerous offensive chances. Colby struck first with a goal in the 18th minute by junior striker Laura Williamson. The Mules took their 1-0 lead into halftime and held onto it for most of the second half, but in the 77th minute, Kim Walker '07 scored the equalizer with an assist from Ainsley Close '06. Both teams failed to convert on several good opportunities in the closing minutes of regulation and both of the 10-minute overtimes. The 1-1 tie brought Middlebury to 1-1-2 in NESCAC play.

Just as the Mighty Ducks switched jerseys in between periods against Iceland in "Mighty Ducks D-II," so too did the Panthers. Coming out in blue (as opposed to the normal home whites) Middlebury broke their scoring troubles for a 3-2 win over the Polar Bears. Two players tallied all five goals: Middlebury's first-year Ashely Pfaff had three while Bowdoin sophomore Ann Zeigler finished two.

Bowdoin drew first blood as Polar Bear sophomore Ann Zeigler finished a through ball from just outside the six-yard box. Middlebury clawed back, however, and scored three unanswered goals. Pfaff scored the first of her three goals in the 36th minute the assist was credited to Caity Abshere '07.

The Panthers struck again midway through the second half as Pfaff collected a through ball from teammate Erin Pittenger '07 and attacked the goal with speed. With a Bowdoin defender on her tail, Pfaff "triple-deeked" the Polar Bear keeper and found the back of the net, finishing a breakaway chance yet again. This unassisted goal was her team leading fifth of the season. Bowdoin made the match a little more interesting as their three forwards continued to threaten. It paid off as Bowdoin's Zeigler blasted a 30-yard goal from the left side into the upper corner to bring Bowdoin back within a goal. However, it was to be in vain as the Panthers took it 3-2 and improved to 2-1-1 in NESCAC play.

The women labored all week to try and fix their scoring woes. Pfaff noted, "I really think that our win was as a result of all of the hard work that we have done in both the game and in practices leading up to it. We have been working on connections between the strikers and the midfielders, and I think that today's offensive production was all of that hard work paying off."

Middlebury looks to keep their winning ways at Amherst. which currently lies just one position behind the Panthers in the standings, this Saturday.