Middlebury picked up its eighth consecutive win as the 13th ranked Panthers (10-3) earned a 4-1 win over Bates (4-9) on Kohn Field. Middlebury clinches home field and will host a NESCAC Quarterfinal game next Sunday, while wrapping up its regular season this Friday at Williams.
Bates took just two shots in the game, scoring on its first 3:18 into the contest on a penalty corner. Kelly McManus injected the ball to Sema Kazarian, who stopped it for Lyndsay Beaton's blast that found the back of the cage.
Lauren Greer tied the game for Middlebury at 9:14, scoring with a reverse stick when she lifted a shot into the cage after a rebound. The Panthers kept coming, as Greer hit the post in the 13th minute.
Greer struck again in the second half, scoring with a high shot from the top of the circle. Charlotte Gardiner made it a 3-0 game at the 56:52 mark, finishing off a flurry in front of the goal after a pair of saves by Katie McEnroe.
Greer notched the hat-trick just eight seconds later, taking a feed from Gardiner and scoring her team-leading 14th of the season.
Becca Shaw needed to make just one save to earn the win, while McEnroe finished with 19 for the Bobcats.
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