The #2 Middlebury women's lacrosse team (19-1) eased past #20 University of Chicago (UChicago) 22-4 on Saturday in an NCAA Third Round contest. The Panthers advance to the regional final on Sunday, taking on the winner of the matchup between #8 Colby and #9 William Smith. Sunday's matchup will take place on Kohn Field with a 1:00 p.m. start time. The Maroon saw their 14-game winning streak end and conclude the year with an 18-2 record.
Middlebury came out strong, rattling off six-straight goals to start the first quarter.
Jane Earley got things going with a free-position marker,
Erin Nicholas bounced in a shot and
Hope Shue converted a free-position attempt at the 11:30 mark for the 3-0 advantage. Earley tallied back-to-back quick-stick goals with assists from
Lily Riseberg, before Riseberg bounced a shot in for the 6-0 lead. UChicago cut the deficit to five (6-1) with six minutes remaining in the stanza, but Middlebury responded with four-straight goals, taking a 10-1 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Nicholas,
Grace Getman, Shue and
Sara Ellinghaus each scored during the second frame, making it 14-1 at the break.
Middlebury continued offensive pressure in the third stanza, increasing the lead to 20-1.
Kate Burke scored the final goal of the third period, and carried the momentum into the fourth frame, tallying a marker while a player down to make it 21-1. UChicago's Audrey Kaus scored at the 7:18 mark with an extra player, before Shue closed out the Panther scoring to make it 22-2. The Maroon tallied the final two goals of the contest for the 22-4 final.
Annie Enrietto improved to 13-0 in goal, making five saves in 45 minutes of action, while
Gina Driscoll stopped three shots in the final quarter. Rachel Keefe made 10 saves in between the pipes for UChicago.
Earley scored five goals during the contest, moving into first on Middlebury's single-season list with 70 this season. Her 84 points tie her for seventh on the program list. Riseberg led all players with six points (3G, 3A), while Shue tallied four markers. Nicholas had five draw controls during the win. With her three helpers, Riseberg moved into second-place on the single-season assist list with 45.
Lizzie Huesman had a goal and an assist for UChicago, while also winning three draw controls.
