Third-ranked Middlebury scored four first-half goals over a 14:21 span on its way to a 4-1 victory over #20 Williams (10-5, 6-4) on a rain-soaked Kohn Field. The Panthers (14-1, 9-1), seeded #2 in the NESCAC Tournament, will host seventh-seeded Hamilton on Saturday at noon in one quarterfinal, while Williams will be the fifth seed and travel to play fourth-seeded Amherst.

The Ephs nearly took an early lead two minutes into the game. A shot from the left side by Brigid Bruno was headed toward the back of the Middlebury cage, but a defensive save by Jillian Green kept the game scoreless.

Much of the play over the next 10 minutes was in the midfield with neither side able to make a charge. The Panthers slowly gained the momentum and started the four-goal run at 12:16 on the 12th goal of the season from Molly Freeman. Shannon Hutteman drove in from the left side as Williams' goalkeeper Margaret Draper came charging off her line. Hutteman lifted the ball over Draper to Pam Schulman, who found an open Freeman on the near post for the goal.

Annie Leonard took a pass from Grace Jennings and converted at the 20:37 mark to make it a 2-0 game for her 16th score of the season. Jennings assisted on the next goal as a cross from the right side was tipped in the air by Draper, before Bridget Instrum swatted it out of midair for her eighth of the year.

At 24:49, Williams looked to get on the board as the Ephs drew a penalty stroke. Hannah Goodrick stepped to the dot and put the ball in the right side past Middlebury goalie Emily Miller. However, the officials ruled that Goodrick had committed an infraction and disallowed the goal.

Trailing 3-0, Goodrick nearly put the Ephs on the scoreboard with a hard shot that was headed toward the near post, but Miller worked her way across her line and made a right pad save in the 24th minute.

A little more than three minutes later, the Panthers completed the run when Leonard collected a loose ball in front of the cage and tapped home her team-best 17th tally.

Middlebury nearly added to its lead in the 50th minute, but Draper made a save with her right pad on a shot from Anna Kenyon.

Williams scored its goal in the 64th minute on a penalty corner, ending a Middlebury shutout streak of 437:27 that spanned nearly six games. Goodrick inserted it to Katie Gallop, whose shot hit a stick in front and was tapped in by Rachel Brissette. The Panthers last allowed a goal in the second half against St. Lawrence on October 6.

Miller picked up the win in goal with a pair of first-half saves, while Draper finished with 10 stops for the Ephs. Middlebury held a 15-6 advantage in shots as well as a 6-5 edge in penalty corners.