Skip To Main Content

Middlebury College

Official Athletics Site of the middlebury college panthers
All Events
FHCelebration24SalisburyNCAASemis
Keith Lucas/Sideline Media
The Panthers celebrate after scoring their first goal in Friday's semifinal.
2
Winner Middlebury MIDFH (18-2)
1
Salisbury SU (17-3)
Winner
Middlebury MIDFH
(18-2)
2
Final
1
Salisbury SU
(17-3)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Middlebury MIDFH 0 0 1 1 2
Salisbury SU 0 1 0 0 1

Game Recap: Field Hockey |

Griffin’s Golden Goal Lifts Panthers Past Sea Gulls In NCAA Semifinals

Amy Griffin tallied the golden goal with nearly five minutes remaining in regulation to lift #2 Middlebury past #1 Salisbury in Friday's national semifinal battle in Virginia. With the victory, the Panthers continue their pursuit of the program's seventh-straight national championship, taking on NESCAC foe #3 Tufts in the title tilt on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. 

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Middlebury had a great chance off the first penalty corner of the contest at the 5:52 mark. Grace Keefe blasted a chance off an insert from Caroline Segal, but defender Madelyn Reed got just enough to deflect the shot past the left post.
  • Despite keeping possession in the Gull's end most of the quarter, a strong Salisbury defense did not allow Middlebury to take another swing as the teams were scoreless after 15 minutes.
  • The Gulls took advantage of their first shot on goal just 38 ticks into the second frame. Marli McDorman sliced a pass over to Arden Hunteman who laced a shot that bounced off a Panther stick and into the bottom-left portion of the cage for a 1-0 lead.
  • Griffin blasted an attempt that was kicked away by Salisbury goalie Abbey McIlvain, causing a scrum in the center of the shooting circle at the 17:31 mark. Middlebury would get three more cracks over 50 seconds off the sticks of Hanna Medwar and Lilly Branka. Mcllvain stood tall, knocking two of them away, while Hannah Johnson recorded a defensive save to keep the Panthers at bay.
  • Middlebury continued its relentless pressure, but back-to-back bids from Segal and Megan Fuqua toward the right post during the 22nd minute were directed aside by Mcllvain. 
  • The Panthers nearly tied the contest with 22:58 elapsed. Georgianne Defeo grabbed a blocked Branka shot and slid the ball underneath the stick of Mcllvain. Her attempt was nullified by a Panther foul, keeping the Gulls in the lead heading into the locker room.
  • Middlebury came out of the break strong, deadlocking the game at the 31:46 mark. Segal collected a pass from Branka and swung a backhand shot that deflected off a Seagull defender and into the middle of the cage to make it 1-1.
  • That would be the last chance for either side in the quarter, as both defenses did not allow a shot to head into the fourth stanza knotted at one goal apiece. 
  • Middlebury looked to tally the go-ahead goal just three minutes into the fourth. Fuqua blasted a shot from just outside the circle that looked to be redirected into the goal by Branka. After video review, the marker was taken off the board, as Fuqua's bid just glanced off Branka's foot on the way through. 
  • The Panthers broke the tie with 4:54 left in the game. Griffin took the ball off a restart and blitzed toward the shooting circle. After getting by two defenders, she loaded up and fired a reverse sweep that sailed through Mcllvain's legs to put Middlebury in front by a 2-1 margin.
  • With 3:41 to go, the Panthers drew a yellow card, facing a player-down situation for the rest of the game. Middlebury played keep away, maintaining possession and pushing deep into the Salisbury defensive end to run out the clock.
  • Salisbury would never get the ball back, as the Panthers killed off the nearly four-minute infraction to secure the 2-1 triumph.

NOTES

  • For the second-straight year, Griffin tallied the game-winner in the NCAA Semifinals. The goal was her 11th of the season and 56th in a Panther uniform. Her career point total also rises to 161, putting her in a tie for third all-time with Erin Nicholas '22. 
  • With a tally today, Segal has recorded at least one point in 16 of 20 contests this fall.
  • Branka's helper on Segal's goal was her sixth of the season. 
  • The Panther defensive unit held the Sea Gulls shotless for 44:22 of game action after their goal in the second quarter.
  • With a pair of markers today, Middlebury moves into a tie for third all-time with 104 this year. 
  • The triumph is the program's 19th consecutive in a neutral setting dating back to a 4-1 victory over Tufts in the 2015 NESCAC Semifinals hosted by Bowdoin.
  • Today's victory is Middlebury's 56th win in a row over a non-conference opponent.
  • Friday's semifinal was the fifth all-time meeting between Middlebury and Salisbury with each coming in the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers hold a 3-2 edge and have won the last three (2007, 2019, 2024) matchups.

Sunday will be an all-NESCAC championship as Middlebury faces #3 Tufts. The Jumbos took down fellow conference foe #4 Williams with a 1-0 victory in overtime in the first semifinal. Sunday's contest will be the 35th all-time meeting between the Panthers and Tufts, and the third matchup in the NCAA Tournament. It will also be the fifth time where two NESCAC teams will battle for the crown, with the last being a 2-0 victory for Middlebury over the Jumbos in the 2018 title tilt.

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
 

Print Friendly Version
Skip Sponsors