No. 25 Williams Women's Lacrosse team saw its season come to an end on Saturday afternoon in the NESCAC quarterfinals, with a 16-2 loss to the No. 1 Middlebury Panthers. Despite a couple of first-quarter goals from Williams to apply some early pressure on Middlebury, the Panthers elevated their game throughout the final three quarters of play, continuing their undefeated season. The loss means that the Ephs will finish the season with an overall record of 7-9, and 3-7 in the NESCAC.
HIGHLIGHTS
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Middlebury opened the game strong, with two Maggie Coughlin assists for goals. First, Coughlin passed to Skylar Lach, who fired a one-timer into the top left. Three minutes later, she hit Kelcey Dion, who deposited a goal low to give Middlebury a 2-0 lead with 10:48 to play.
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After Eph head coach Alice Lee called a timeout with 9:31 to play, the Ephs responded with an immediate goal. McKenna Dwyer passed to Anna Miller behind the goal, who hit Katy McCullough on the left side with space. McCullough caught the ball and fired into the right side of the net, cutting the deficit to 2-1 with 8:50 to go in the first.
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Williams tied it up just over two minutes later, when Franny Donohue drove inside and bounced a nice shot into the bottom right corner.
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Middlebury ended the quarter with a bang. First, Hope Shue cut through two defenders in transition and finished into the upper left with 3:44 to go. Then, with under ten seconds left in the quarter, Coughlin picked up her third assist of the game, finding Lach inside for a well-placed goal to make it 4-2.
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After both teams failed to convert on some early chances in the second quarter, Middlebury struck first in transition. A Williams turnover led to a fast-break clearance, and Adams found Dion inside, Dion made a nice fake, and then finished low and right to put the Panthers up 5-2 with 10:56 left in the half.
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A few minutes later, the Panthers extended their lead with a two-goal flurry. First, Kate Motley converted a free-position attempt with 8:53 remaining. Then, Shue drove all the way from midfield to finish a good individual goal and make the score 7-2 with 8:39 to go.
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Middlebury got two more goals to end the half, with Coughlin assisting Adams on a finish and Shue burying a free-position attempt with only 15 seconds left in the half to put the score at 9-2 going into the break.
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It was all Middlebury in the third quarter, as goals from Sophia Lee, Shue, Adams, and Dion essentially ended the game and gave the Panthers a 13-2 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
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Three more Middlebury goals in the fourth quarter, from Coughlin, Britt Nawrocki, and Jamee Numan, put the final score at 16-2.
The loss concludes the Ephs' season, and the team will now turn its attention to 2026.
