The #1 Middlebury women's lacrosse team recorded five second-half goals, pulling away from #3 Franklin & Marshall for a 15-9 victory in the NCAA Semifinals. With the win, the Panthers tally their 50th-consecutive triumph and advance to the championship game for the third-straight year. Middlebury takes #5 Salisbury, a 13-10 victor over #9 William Smith in the day's second semifinal.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Hope Shue opened the scoring just 41 seconds into the initial quarter, racing down the left side before bouncing a shot into the right side of the goal for the 1-0 lead.
• Gillian Brennan knotted the contest for F&M with 3:52 expired, sneaking a free-position shot past Panther goalie Elizabeth Savage to make it a 1-1 contest.
• Susan Rowley tallied just 36 seconds later, bouncing a free-position attempt through the legs of Diplomat goalie Alyssa Moran for a 2-1 advantage with 10:32 left.
• Lane Lambeth scored while falling down just outside the crease on a pinpoint pass from Megan Bizub at 8:56 to deadlock the contest again (2-2).
• Caroline Messer answered 18 seconds later, firing a shot into the left panel to help the Panthers regain the lead.
• Savage made a huge save on a shot by Lydia Cassilly on a drive down the right side with 6:56 left to keep it a 3-2 edge for Middlebury.
• The Panthers continued their momentum with the next two goals, as Maggie Coughlin found the top-left corner and Rowley tucked a shot inside the post for a 5-2 advantage at the 2:55 mark.
• The Diplomats pulled to within two (5-3) when Brennan worked her way through traffic, firing a shot into the upper-right 90 with 52 seconds left.
• Rowley completed her hat trick while Middlebury was a player up, scoring into the left side of the net with 13 seconds left in the initial stanza.
• A turnaround shot by F&M's Madison Bray found space over the shoulder of Savage with 12:33 showing on the clock, before Kelcey Dion collected a loose ball as the possession clock was expiring for an underhanded goal and a 7-4 advantage.
• Brennan cut it to 7-5 with a head-and-shoulder fake with 8:15 left, but Kate Motley pushed the Panther lead to four (9-5) with back-to-back goals 51 seconds apart.
• Cassilly tallied her second of the contest, bouncing a shot into the lower portion of the net on a free-position bid while a player up at the 4:43 mark, slicing the Middlebury advantage to three (9-6).
• Caroline Adams drove down the middle of the defense while the Panthers were a player up, making it a 10-6 game on bid that rippled the lower left nylon with 37 seconds remaining.
• Savage tallied her sixth save of the opening half in the waning seconds, denying a free-position bid by Kate McLam with her body to preserve the 10-6 halftime lead.
• Lambeth posted her second score of the day at 12:53 of the third quarter on a quick-stick tally.
• Savage recorded a point-blank save on a driving attempt from Lauren Pittman less than a minute later, but Pittman cashed in on a free-position chance at 8:45 to close the gap to a pair (10-8).
• The Panthers started their decisive run when Skylar Lach scored all in one motion on a nifty pass from behind the goal by Britt Nawrocki with 7:43 left.
• Rowley tallied when Middlebury was a player up at the 4:01 mark, catching a pass from Sara Ellinghaus while cutting through the middle for a 12-8 advantage.
• The Diplomats pulled to within three (12-9) as Pittman scored with 1:54 left on a free-position opportunity into the upper-left corner.
• Ellinghaus gave the Panthers a four-goal advantage (13-9), tucking in a free-position bid into the right panel with 9:17 left.
• Coughlin found a cutting Niki Mormile racing down the center of the offensive zone, as Mormile made the score 14-9 with 7:13 remaining.
• Shue gave Middlebury its largest lead of the game at six (15-9), scoring while falling to the ground at the 5:52 mark.
• The Panther defense forced a turnover and held off any comeback attempts over the waning minutes, as Middlebury recorded the 15-9 victory.

NOTES

• Savage had a big day in front of the goal, finishing with a career-best 10 saves. Six of her stops came during the first half as she improves to 9-0 on the year.
• Coughlin's helper in the win gives her 70, moving her into seventh in the program's career record books.
• Middlebury held a decisive 20-8 advantage in draw controls, led by 10 from Adams. Shue secured six, while Mormile claimed the other four. 
• The Panthers had 10 different players record a goal, led by four from Rowley and a pair each by Shue and Motley.
• The win was the 50th in a row for the program dating back to the 2022 season. The Panthers have tallied a double-digit goal total during all of those 50 wins. It was also the program's 19th-consecutive NCAA Tournament triumph. The victory was the program's 80th in NCAA Tournament play against just 18 losses.
• Middlebury and Franklin & Marshall met for the sixth time, with the Panthers holding a 5-1 lead in the series. The two squads played earlier this year, with Middlebury emerging with an 18-9 victory. The programs have met twice in the NCAA Tournament with the Panthers claiming wins in the 2019 quarterfinal (16-4) and the 2023 semifinal (22-13).
• Middlebury is making its 28th appearance in the national tournament and advanced to the semifinal round for the 23rd time, including every year that it has competed since 2015.
• The Panthers reached the championship contest for the 13th time and are searching for their third-consecutive national title and 10th overall.

The squad has a day of rest on Saturday before it defends its title against the Gulls on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE