MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — Junior goalkeeper Ellie Smith of the eighth-ranked Williams College field hockey team made a game-high six saves Tuesday evening, but Claire McMichael scored the game-winning goal for No. 2 Middlebury during the 13th minute in a 1-0 setback for the Ephs at Peter Kohn Field.

The Ephs (10-5, 6-4 NESCAC) earned the fourth seed in the NESCAC Tournament and will host fifth-seeded and sixth-ranked Hamilton (11-4, 6-4 NESCAC) Saturday at 11 a.m. during the quarterfinal round at Williamson Field. The Ephs have won seven consecutive games against the Continentals dating back to 2019, including a 1-0 victory on Oct. 20 in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

On Tuesday, McMichael buried the game-winning goal for the Panthers (13-2, 9-1 NESCAC) with 2:47 remaining in the first quarter, as she ripped a shot from the top of the circle into the bottom right corner.

Williams applied pressure at the end of the second quarter. Senior Keira Harder stole the ball from Middlebury, and then unloaded a backhand shot that was saved by Middlebury's goalkeeper Izzy Redzic. With 16 seconds left in the half, senior Claire Colvin inserted a penalty corner. Eight seconds later, senior Haley McAuslin fired a shot from the top off the circle that went just wide left.

The Panthers held a 15-4 advantage in total shots and a 7-3 lead in shots on goal. The hosts led the penalty-corner statistic, 6-4. McAuslin and Harder each finished with two shots, putting a combined three shots on net.