The top-ranked Middlebury field hockey team (21-0) scored a pair of goals in each half en route to a 4-1 victory over fourth-ranked Rowan in an NCAA Semifinal game on Saturday. With the win, the Panthers advance to the national championship for the fourth-straight year, extending their win streak to 29 victories. Middlebury will take on #2 Johns Hopkins in the title game at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, with both teams entering the contest with unblemished records. The Profs conclude their season with an 18-2 mark.
Rowan looked to open the scoring three minutes into the contest when Julia Patrone had a breakaway, but Middlebury's
Joan Vera cleared away the ball to deny a shot.
The Panthers made it 1-0 with 7:41 expired.
Erin Nicholas beat two defenders before sliding the ball to
Sadie LeStage on the right. LeStage sent a nice feed to
Katie George in the middle, who's initial pair of shots were denied by Rowan goaltender Abby Hainsworth, but George persisted and sent the rebound into the bottom-right corner for the one-goal edge.
The Profs had a good chance for the equalizer at the 8:06 mark, but Kristiina Castagnola's bid went just wide right. Castagnola broke through with just 26 seconds remaining in the opening frame. She carried the ball into the circle, spun around a defender, sending a reverse chip into the upper-left 90 to make it 1-1.
Middlebury took a 2-1 edge at the 18:39 mark when Nicholas slipped the ball past a charging Hainsworth for her 25th tally of the year.
The Profs had a few opportunities to knot the game in the 26th minute after a penalty corner, but Panther goalie
Grace Harlan came up big with a kick save, sending Middlebury into the break with a one-goal lead.
Out of the intermission, George tallied her second goal of the game at the 36:26 mark to increase the Panther advantage.
Meg Fearey sent a pass from midfield to George on the left side. George carried the ball into the circle and beat a defender, before lifting the shot over the goalie's far shoulder for the 3-1 lead.
With nine minutes remaining in the contest, Rowan had a good chance to cut the deficit to one. A midfielder sent a through pass to Krystyna Hovell. The Prof made a diving tip on he play, but Middlebury's
Joan Vera was there to thwart the bid.
Rowan had a final chance to score after a penalty corner with under three minutes remaining, but a strong Panther defense denied any shots from the set piece.
Middlebury tacked on its final goal of the game at the 58:40 mark when Nicholas cashed in on a feed from
Amy Griffin for the 4-1 final.
The Panthers held a 13-5 advantage in shots during the victory and a slight edge in penalty corner (5-3). This marked the third time the two teams met, with Middlebury holding a 3-0 mark in the series.
Harlan earned the win with one save, while Hainsworth stopped three shots for Rowan. With the pair of goals, Nicholas moved into fourth on Middlebury's all-time points list with 157 (63G, 31A).
