Women's lacrosse falls short in semifinals

Author: Julia Ireland

After a season of highs and lows, the Middlebury women's lacrosse team ended their NESCAC run with a loss to rival Colby College in the semifinals this past Saturday.

The first half saw back and forth action from both sides. Middlebury struck first with two goals by Sally Ryan '11, but Colby wasted no time in responding, tying it up with two goals within one minute of each other. Middlebury took another two-goal lead in the first half, but again, Colby tied the game at four and then gained a two-goal lead. Chase Delano '11 and Caroline Kirkendoll '09 scored in the final minutes of the first half to tie the game once again.

The game was tied 6-6 at halftime, but Colby's offense ignited a six-goal scoring streak in the second half that decisively shifted the momentum in their favor. The teams traded goals in the first minutes of the second half, but Colby then tallied six times in 10 minutes to go up 13-7.

"Colby got a lot more aggressive in the second half. They dominated draw controls which really made the difference," said senior goalie Blair Bowie '09, who recorded 10 saves on the afternoon. "Lacrosse is such a game of momentum that once one team gets on a big scoring run, it's very difficult to turn the game back around."

"You need possession of the ball to score, and by not gaining control of draws we were not giving our offense enough opportunities to score," added Kate Barton '09.

Delano tried to break Colby's momentum with a goal off of a pass from attacker Lindsay McBride '09 with thirteen minutes remaining, but the Mules remained strong defensively and threatening offensively through the duration of the contest. The teams traded goals in the remaining minutes to finish the game with a 17-12 score in the visiting team's favor.

"Colby exploited any tiny mistakes we made on defense, so if we get another chance to play we will have to limit our mistakes and keep capitalizing on all of our offensive opportunities," said McBride.

Ryan and Delano provided the majority of the Panther offense. Ryan had five goals and an assist while Delano tallied four goals and an assist in the game. Taryn Petrelli '09 provided solid defense for the Panthers, causing a game-high five turnovers.

Despite the loss to a very tough competitor, Middlebury will have the chance to play again as they received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Not much about their strategy will change as they look toward competing at the national level.

"The cause of our success going forward will not be changing our game, but it will be rediscovering the things that we already do well. We are a team with one of the best defenses in Division III and an incredibly potent offense that features some of the leagues' very best players," said Bowie.

The Panthers are looking forward to another opportunity to take the field with confidence and prove what a talented and cohesive unit they have.

"We still have a lot of confidence in ourselves and everyone on the team would love another shot to prove ourselves," said Barton.

"We've definitely had some ups and downs this season but I think we've learned a lot along the way. Everyone is really hoping for an NCAA bid because we are just reaching the peak of our season and we don't want it to end," added McBride.

The end of the 2009 Middlebury women's lacrosse season will mark the end of seven seniors' great careers at Middlebury. The team will graduate offensive threats Caroline Kirkendoll, McBride, Barton, Alice Demmerle and Katie Sparkes in addition to Bowie and defensive anchor Petrelli. Petrelli, a two-sport standout athlete in field hockey and lacrosse, saw action in every possible game of her career with the exception of two.

The senior class will walk away with two NESCAC titles in their careers, two NCAA Final Four appearances and 53 wins against just 14 losses.

The Panthers hosted their first-round NCAA game against Keene State on Wednesday, May 6. The winner of the game advances to the NCAA regional round, held at Colby College.