The #1/top-seeded Middlebury women's lacrosse team will host the NESCAC Championship weekend from May 6-7 on Peter Kohn Field. The Panthers continue their quest for the program's 11th title when they play #12/fourth-seeded Colby on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. in semifinal action. Second-seeded Wesleyan and #3 seed Tufts square off in the second semifinal at 3:00 p.m. The semifinal winners play in the championship game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury defeated eighth-seeded Bowdoin 16-6 in the NESCAC Quarterfinals. 
• The Panthers have advanced to the semifinals in each of the last seven tournaments. 
• Middlebury earned the top seed for the fifth year in a row and the 13th time overall.
• The Panthers claimed their last NESCAC title in 2019, scoring the game's final two goals for a 10-9 victory over Tufts.
• Middlebury made its 21st appearance in the tournament last weekend and is one of just three programs (Amherst and Colby) to qualify every year since its inception in 2001. 
• The program has claimed the most NESCAC Tournament victories and has a stellar 33-10 all-time record in the conference championship.
• The squad currently boasts a perfect 16-0 overall record and remains one of just three unbeaten teams left in Division III along with #3 William Smith and #21 Kenyon.
• The Panthers rank third in the country in free-position percentage, converting 61.1 percent of their attempts. The team also sits in fourth place in clearing percentage (.907) and scoring margin (+11.31) and fifth in scoring defense (6.06 GAA).
• The program notched its 21st-straight win in the quarterfinals and has won 28-consecutive road contests.  

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• The Panthers feature a balanced and potent offense. Hope Shue paces the conference in goals (53) and points per game (4.40), while her 66 points are third. Shue tied a NESCAC Tournament single-game record scoring seven goals in the quarterfinal win over Bowdoin. Shue has tallied the most points (nine) and goals (seven) in a single game this year. She recorded seven tallies three times, all coming against nationally-ranked conference opponents.
• Jane Earley is tied for the NESCAC lead in draw controls per game (6.19), while she is second in the league in both goals (52) and points (69). The senior is second in Middlebury's record books in both career goals (195) and draws (218), while she is third in points (253). She set a program mark for most draw controls in a game earlier this season, winning 13 against then-#3 TCNJ. Earley looks to become just the second player in the program's history to surpass 100 draw controls in a season (99). 
• Kelcey Dion (25G, 12A), Susan Rowley (28G, 5A) and Maggie Coughlin (21G, 12A) are each above the 30-point plateau, while Caroline Messer (22G, 7A) has 29 points.
• Erica Barr has helped anchor a solid defensive unit this year. The senior paces the squad in ground balls (32) and caused turnovers (32), while ranking second with 57 draw controls. Barr is third on Middlebury's career draws list with 201. 
• Chloe Newman is a mainstay in the backfield, ranking second on the team with 17 caused turnovers, while helping contribute to a .907 clearing percentage which ranks fourth in the country. In the regular-season finale, Newman tallied a season-high six ground balls and five caused turnovers.
• In front of the Panther goal, Annie Enrietto ranks fifth in Division III with a 6.49 goals-against-average and owns an unbeaten 32-0 career record.

ABOUT #12 COLBY

• Colby secured the fourth seed in the NESCAC Tournament for the first time since 2017.
• The Mules earned a spot in the semifinal round with a 12-10 victory over #5 seed Trinity.
• Colby has won 11 of its last 12 contests with the lone loss during that stretch coming to Middlebury.
• The Mules have won three NESCAC Championships (2008, 2009, 2017) and return to the semifinals for the second-consecutive season.

MULES TO WATCH

• Gianna Bruno paces the NESCAC with 45 assists and 70 points to go along with 25 goals. 
• Annie Eddy has a team-best 43 goals and 14 free-position tallies, while Elizabeth Hennessey (29G, 9A), Ally Franz (29G, 8A) and Paige Saudek (31G, 2A) each have recorded more than 30 points offensively. 
• Julia Jardina is third among league peers with 95 draw controls and leads the squad with 35 ground balls, while Ainsley Dion has won 61 draws.
• Jillian Mazzocca, Kat Munter and Emily Darby have been constant presences for the Mule defense throughout the season. Mazzocca leads the team with 18 caused turnovers. 
• Sarah Hearns has started every game in front of the Colby goal, while Jillian Kane has logged significant minutes. Hearns has a 10-2 record with 65 saves, while Kane has played in nine games with a 2-2 record.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Panthers and the Mules have met 39 times with the Panthers holding a 26-13 series advantage.
• The teams met earlier this season at Colby with Middlebury picking up a 17-5 victory.
• The programs have squared off 10 times in the NESCAC Tournament with each program winning five times. The Panthers and Mules played most recently in the 2017 league tournament with the Mules winning by a 10-9 score. 

#4 WESLEYAN NOTES

• The Panthers own a 23-0 advantage in the all-time series with Wesleyan.
• Middlebury defeated Wesleyan 16-9 on April 8 in Connecticut.
• The Cardinals are seeking their first NESCAC title, finishing as the runner-up in the pandemic-shortened 2021 season.
• The programs have met just once in the NESCAC Tournament, with the Panthers claiming a 16-6 victory last year.
• Wesleyan comes into semifinal action winners of six-straight contests.
• The Cardinals defeated seventh-seeded Williams 11-6 in the NESCAC Quarterfinals to advance to the championship weekend.

#7 TUFTS NOTES

• Middlebury leads the all-time series 23-5 against Tufts, winning the last four meetings and eight of the previous nine.
• The Jumbos are seeking their third NESCAC title and second in a row. 
• Tufts fell by a 16-9 decision to Middlebury earlier this season.
• The Panthers and Jumbos have met five times in the NESCAC Tournament with Middlebury leading the series 3-2. Last year, Tufts defeated the Panthers to earn the conference crown, but Middlebury avenged that loss to take the NCAA title. 
• Tufts edged sixth-seeded Amherst 11-9 in the NESCAC Quarterfinals to advance to this weekend.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Quarterfinals occurred at the top-four seeds on Saturday, April 29. The rest of the tournament will be hosted by Middlebury on Saturday, May 6 (Semifinals) and Sunday, May 7 (Championship). 
• Championship Central
• NESCAC Championship Weekend Announcement