POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

The Middlebury field hockey team scored twice in each half, posting a 4-0 victory over 15th-ranked Rochester on Saturday in an NCAA second-round game on Anderson Field at Messiah. Annie Leonard recorded her third hat trick of the season to pace the winning team. The fourth-ranked Panthers (15-4) advance to Sunday's regional final at 1:00 p.m. and will meet top-ranked Messiah (19-1), a 5-0 winner over Keene State. With the victory, Middlebury will play in the NCAA Quarterfinals for the seventh-straight season.

The Panthers claimed the early lead on their second shot of the contest, taking advantage of a penalty corner. Audrey Quirk inserted the ball from the left side of the cage before a shot attempt by Lauren Schweppe and ricocheted back to Quirk at the far post. She deposited the loose ball into the Yellowjacket net for her fourth of the season at the 5:49 mark.

Middlebury used a penalty corner to double its advantage with 8:46 remaining in the half when Leonard tallied off her own rebound. She ripped a shot from the right side that was stopped by Rochester goalie Gabrielle Cantley, but Leonard quickly gathered the ball and lifted it into the far corner.

The Yellowjackets recorded their only shot on goal with less than six minutes left on the first-half clock. Colleen Maillie took the shot, but Middlebury goalie Emily Miller made the save.

Cantley prevented the Panthers taking a 3-0 lead in the final minute of the half, charging out to smother a bid by Julia Richards. Richards broke in on Cantley after taking a perfect lead pass from Grace Jennings.

In the second stanza, Middlebury scored twice in a span of 2:16, while its defense did not allow a shot on goal. Leonard made it a three-goal difference with 16:54 left in the game when she beat goalie Kiran Sundaram, who started the second half for Rochester, from the right side. The play started on a penalty corner with Schweppe setting up Leonard for the tally.

Leonard completed her third hat trick of the season just over two minutes later, tipping in a shot by Jennings. The goal was her 23rd of the season, tying her with Heidi Howard '99 for fifth in the program record books for goals in a season. She also jumped into fifth place in career goals (53) and points (128).

Miller recorded one save for the win, posting her seventh shutout of the season. That raised her career total to 15, which ranks third on the program's career list. Cantley and Sundaram each posted two saves in a half of play. Middlebury finished with a 12-4 edge in shots (9-1 on goal) and both teams took five penalty corners.

The Panthers have met Messiah on three previous occasions, all coming in the NCAA Tournament. Middlebury holds a 2-1 edge in those games, including a 4-3 overtime-win in a 2007 meeting during the second round.