Field hockey defeats Camels

Author: Maeve McGilloway

Practice makes perfect. This old adage holds true when it comes to the Middlebury College field hockey team. The Panthers' hard work helped put them on a three-game winning streak, with its most recent victory against Connecticut College this past Saturday, Oct. 25 by a score of 5-1.

Heather McCormack '10 led the team offensively, scoring two of the Panthers' five goals. This weekend's win secures the third place spot for Middlebury, ending its conference play with six wins and two losses. The Panthers are behind undefeated Tufts (8-0) and Bowdoin (7-1), respectively.

Despite Conn. College's last place status in the conference, the Panthers knew this weekend's game would be challenging, since the Camels compete on synthetic field turf rather than the Astro turf that the Panthers are used to playing on at Peter Kohn field. The introduction of synthetic surfaces and turf in the 1970s has dramatically changed the sport of field hockey, increasing the speed of the ball and making it easier for special skill sets like stick trapping. A different type of grass could drastically change the outcome of any field hockey game.

Preparing for this adjustment a week before the game, Panther head coach Katharine DeLorenzo had the team practicing on the men's soccer field, which is similar to the Camels' field. McCormack commented on how practice made the team aware and ready for the different surface. "We knew we had to make harder passes and we knew we couldn't wait for the ball to come to us," she said.

The extra preparation paid off for the Panthers, as they started off the first half with a bang, netting three goals in the first thirty minutes of play. All three of these goals were scored off beautifully executed penalty corners, with forward Allison Grant '11, midfielder Lindsay McBride '09 and forward Marnie Rowe '08.5 driving them past the Camels' goalkeeper. Center midfielder Mullery Doar '10 picked up the assists on both Grant's and McBride's goals. Doar, an all-around team player with great field vision, has assisted eight goals the season.

In practice, the Panthers have been focusing on perfecting their corners. Their hard work certainly seemed to pay off, as Middlebury finished on three of its six penalty corners. Conn. College had a total of seven corners throughout the game but was unsuccessful in all of its efforts. Senior left back and co-captain Taryn Petrelli '09 continues to be a stronghold on the defensive line.

The strong Middlebury offensive effort continued in the second half when McCormack scored two goals, putting Middlebury at a 5-0 advantage in the game. McCormack's first goal was at the 48:14 mark, as McBride gave her a lead pass that she tapped in, and the other tally was unassisted as she went through two defenders and knocked the ball into the left post. These goals marked McCormack's tenth and eleventh of the season. She currently ranks second on the team for most goals, right behind Chase Delano '11, who has an astonishing 18 goals this season. Not far behind is Sophie Thompson '09, whose four goals against Bates two weeks ago helped her climb the ranks.

Middlebury had a clear shot advantage in the first half, out-shooting Connecticut College 9-0, but the Camels increased their shot counts in the second half and had four attempts on Middlebury goalkeeper and co-captain Caitlin Pentifallo '09. Camels forward Kelsey Fredericks broke the shutout at the 56-minute mark, which resulted in the 5-1 final score.

Connecticut College's assistant coach is Channing Weymouth, who is a 2006 graduate of Middlebury College and was also a three-time All-NESCAC and two-time All-Region performer throughout her career. Weymouth was also the assistant coach for Middlebury in the fall of 2006. The Panther field hockey team has had its share of previous Middlebury greats training and coaching them - especially this season, with Heidi Howard '99 and Reid Berrien '08. Howard was an All-American and NESCAC Player of the year in 1998, while Reid Berrien was a first team All-NESCAC selection in 2007. Additionally, DeLorenzo has been at Middlebury for eight seasons and earned her 200th career victory earlier in the season.

Middlebury begins postseason play on Nov. 2, and the coaches are extremely optimistic. The coaches, as well as the team, believe in and follow their team motto: "You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the more you get."