Box Score MIDDLEBURY, VT. - The No. 2 Panthers (14-1, 9-1 NESCAC) found themselves 3-0 up at halftime, making it difficult for the No. 7 Ephs (11-4, 6-4 NESCAC) to produce a comeback and ultimately fall 4-1 in the regular-season finale.
Five minutes into the first quarter, Middlebury's Lilly Branka found the back of the net for the 15th time this season to put the Panthers up 1-0.
At the 22:03 mark, Caroline Segal took advantage of the penalty corner that was awarded to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead. Three minutes later, Audrey Lazar gave Middlebury a three goal lead heading into the second half of the game.
The Ephs, however, continued to fight and senior Shea van den Broek found senior Emily Batchelor to get a goal back at the 36:55 mark. Batchelor, with her 19th goal of the season, brought momentum to the team and made it a two goal game. The Panthers responded less than four minutes later as Audrey Lazar found the back of the net for the second time in this game, ending the scoring for the night.
Despite the result, senior goalkeeper Carson Stephenson made three crucial saves to limit Middlebury's lead. Junior goalkeeper Gates Tenerowicz also made three key saves to prevent the Panthers a larger lead.
The Ephs were outshot by the Panthers 17-3, with 2 shots on target for Williams and 10 for Middlebury.
"We fought hard for 60 minutes," stated head coach Alix Barrale after the game. "They converted on the corners early even though we carried the play territorially. Middlebury's speed kept us on our toes and disrupted our ability to control the tempo. We learned a lot from that game."
The Ephs now look to continue playing high quality field hockey as they await their matchup for the NESCAC tournament. The NESCAC office will release the NESCAC Tournament matchups soon as the tournament begins this Saturday, October 29th.
