The top-ranked Middlebury women's lacrosse team earned a trip to the NCAA Semifinals for the fourth-straight season, as the Panthers utilized a strong first quarter Sunday on their way to a 12-7 victory over 12th-ranked Colby on Peter Kohn Field. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Mules opened the scoring 2:37 into the stanza when Annie Eddy drove the right side and fired a shot inside the near post.
• The Panthers knotted the contest exactly one minute later as Susan Rowley dodged a defender from the top of the arc, tucking a shot just under the crossbar.
• Middlebury continued to ride that momentum, tallying five straight. Hope Shue posted a pair of markers during the run including a free-position bouncing tally, while Rowley added her second of the contest and Maggie Coughlin ended the spurt with a quick-stick shot with 1:36 left for a 6-1 advantage.
• A goal by Caroline Messer from the right side of the crease, followed by a turnaround tally from Anna Spehr 1:20 later gave the Panthers an 8-1 edge with 11:44 remaining in the second quarter.
• Colby turned the tide in its favor with three-consecutive goals over the remainder of the stanza. Elizabeth Hennessey closed the spurt with a quick-stick tally to make it an 8-4 game with 1:58 left before halftime.
• The Mules had two chances to pull closer in the final minute, but Panther goalie Annie Enrietto denied a pair of point-blank shots to preserve Middlebury's four-goal advantage (8-4).
• In a low-scoring third quarter, Colby's Julia Jardina slipped a free-position shot into the upper-right corner with 3:46 expired.
• Caroline Messer pushed the advantage back to four (9-5) on a goal just 46 seconds later, while Ally Franz answered with a tally for the Mules into the lower-left corner to make it a 9-6 contest.
• The fourth quarter saw Shue run across the crease and score into the bottom-right corner, while Rowley worked a give-and-go with Jane Earley to increase the lead to 11-6 with 9:05 left.
• A bouncing shot by Franz found the left side of the nylon just 34 seconds later, but a goal from Coughlin on the right side made it 12-7 with 6:15 remaining.
• Enrietto and the Panther defense locked down in the final minutes, forcing two Mule turnovers and limiting the visitors to one shot that the goalie saved for the final 12-7 score.

NOTES

• Earley tied her career high in the victory with four assists. With her five-point effort, she moved into second place in the single-season record books with 97 points. Earley's 67 goals this season rank third on the single-season list.
• Enrietto moves to 37-0 all-time in front of the Middlebury goal.
• The Panthers won their 26th-straight game and improved to a perfect 21-0 record this season.
• Sunday's contest marked the third meeting this year between the programs, with Middlebury winning all three. The Panthers and Colby also played in last spring's regional final with Middlebury earning a 12-2 victory.

The Panthers take on #8 Franklin & Marshall in an NCAA Semifinal on Friday, May 26 at 12:00 p.m. in Salem, Virginia with a trip to the national championship on the line.