Breaking their two game losing streak, an anomaly for the decorated Panthers, Middlebury field hockey defeated Bates 2-1 on their home turf this Sunday.
After four losses this season and falling in the national and NESCAC rankings, the squad pulled out a hard-fought win against the Bobcats, reasserting their dominance in the sport.
Starting forward Addie Chandler ’29 tallied her seventh goal of the season to put the Panthers ahead 1-0 in the first quarter. Not long after, Emma McCann ’28 lifted the ball over the Bates goalkeeper, bringing the score to 2-0.
Bates answered in the second quarter but the Panthers held them off for the remainder of the game to secure the 2-1 victory in their final home game of the regular season.
In this week’s NCAA Division III NPI rankings, Middlebury field hockey sits at number nine, down from number one at the beginning of the season. Bates is ranked sixth.
In the NESCAC, Middlebury is in a four-way tie for the second position in the rankings. Tufts field hockey has secured hosting rights for the final four of the NESCAC tournament as the league’s current number one seed. However, the Panthers will look to finish within the top four in order to host quarterfinals this coming Saturday.
With only one regular season game left this season, the Panthers have their sights set on the postseason, where they have historically dominated. Although they lost in last year’s NESCAC semi-final, they won their seventh consecutive National Championship against Johns Hopkins. The squad will look to add to their long list of accolades as their season continues into November.
Field hockey is set to play away at Williams on Tuesday, the final game of the regular season. In order to host the quarterfinal game of the NESCAC tournament, a win is required.
