The top-ranked Middlebury women's lacrosse team eclipsed the 20-win plateau for the second-straight year, breezing past Colorado College 20-9 in an NCAA Third Round contest. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair early on, with the Panthers jumping out to a 2-0 edge with an upper right corner goal from Hope Shue and an extra-player tally from Susan Rowley.
• The Tigers responded at the 12:20 mark when Grace Bean weaved through three defenders and slotted the ball into the goal to make it 2-1.
• Less than a minute later, Sara Ellinghaus scored to increase the advantage to 3-1. The Panther raced around the net fired a low sidearm shot that goalie Cassidy Schnaufer got a piece of but could not stop, as the ball trickled into the goal.
• Colorado College answered with back-to-back markers to knot the contest at three goals apiece. Devon Ortman's quick stick attempt whistled past Elizabeth Savage, before Sofia Mancino whipped a free-position tally into the left panel.
• Middlebury pulled away with seven unanswered goals. Shue sparked the run with a low sidearm shot from the left side, while Rowley capped the span with a quick-stick marker for the commanding 10-3 lead after one stanza of action.
• The Panthers increased their advantage to 14-3, forcing running time with a 4-0 spurt to start the second frame.
• The Tigers would not go quietly, with Mancino striking twice sandwiched around a pair of Middlebury markers. The initial bid by Mancino was a quick bid from the middle, while the second was a dodge-and-weave tally slipped inside the right pipe to cut the deficit to 16-5 at the halftime break.
• The Panthers rattled off three-straight goals to start the third quarter, sparked by back-to-back bouncing free-position bids from Kelcey Dion and Caroline Adams for the 19-5 lead.
• Colorado College responded with three tallies of its own, closing the gap to 19-8 with one stanza remaining.
• Each team scored once during the final 15 minutes of action, as Middlebury eased to the 20-9 triumph.

NOTES

• With six points today (5G, 1A), Shue moved into fourth place on three of the Panther's all-time lists. She is fourth in career points (264), single-season points (98) and single-season goals (73).
• Rowley, who also tallied six points (5G, 1A) moved into a tie for sixth place with 67 markers this spring.
• Lucy Bishop collected a career-high 11 draw controls today, tying for fifth all-time in a single game.
• Adams had five draw victories, eclipsing 200 for her career. 
• Middlebury and Colorado College played for the third time, with the Panthers limiting the Tigers to single-digit scoring in each of those triumphs.

With the win, Middlebury advances to the regional final on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The Panthers will take on the winner of #8 Ithaca and #11 Pomona-Pitzer with a trip to the final four on the line.