The #1 Middlebury women's lacrosse team claimed its third-straight NCAA Championship with a 16-5 victory over #5 Salisbury. The Panthers complete their second-straight undefeated season, with their 23 victories tying for the most in program history.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Salisbury opened the scoring at the 12:29 mark when Alexandra Parker scooped up a loose ball during a scramble in front of the net, and dished a pass to Erin Scannell who was all alone on the far right side. Scannell saw her opening and lifted the ball over the left shoulder of goalie Elizabeth Savage for the 1-0 edge.
• Middlebury answered with five-straight goals to close out the first stanza, while maintaining offensive possession with six caused turnovers during the frame. Kelcey Dion got things going with a nifty marker while being double-teamed, Hope Shue tallied twice including one from the eight-meter, and Niki Mormile found nylon with just two seconds left on the clock for the 5-1 Panther lead.
• Middlebury carried its momentum into the second quarter, scoring another five-consecutive markers to complete the 10-0 run. Caroline Adams got things going with just 46 seconds elapsed after winning the preceding faceoff. The Panther used a dodge-and-weave on a defender before slipping the ball inside the left pipe. Susan Rowley tallied three of the next four goals, including a player-up free-position marker, while Shue completed her hat trick as the duo made it 10-1.
• Salisbury wouldn't back down, taking advantage of a seven-on-five situation with 3:25 to go. Miranda Mears used a quick-stick to sneak the ball inside the right pipe to slice the lead to eight (10-2). 
• Following a free bid crossbody marker from Shue, Seagull Meridith Price had a great individual effort. Price came from 30-yards out and weaved through the arc before swooshing nylon to make it 11-3 at the intermission.
• Dion made it 12-3 with just 30 seconds gone in the second half, but Salisbury answered with two-straight goals. Price fired a shot over the head of a Middlebury defender, before Mears dodged two defenders and snuck her shot through traffic to cut the deficit to seven (12-5).
• With 16 ticks left on the third quarter clock, Adams bounced the ball into the net for the 13-5 advantage.
• The Panthers increased their lead to 14-5 at the 12:48 mark of the final frame. An initial bid by Sara Ellinghaus hit the stick of goalie Kaitlyn Hunsinger, but Maggie Coughlin snagged the rebound out of the air and whipped it into the net. 
• Middlebury forced running time with just under 10 minutes remaining with back-to-back goals from Mormile for the 16-5 advantage.
• With under three minutes remaining, Salisbury had a pair of quality chances to close the gap, with an initial goal by Grace Doyle was waved off due to a penalty. With 20 seconds left, Doyle stepped up to the arc, but Savage denied the bid to secure the 16-5 Panther victory.

NOTES

• Middlebury becomes just the second Division III women's lacrosse program to claim three-consecutive national championships, joining The College of New Jersey who won six-straight crowns back in the 1990s. Including the Panthers, there are only five programs across all three divisions to achieve the elite feat.
• The program has claimed four championships in a row, having not played during the 2020 or 2021 seasons due to the pandemic (2019, 2022, 2023, 2024). This is the 10th crown for the program since its inaugural season (1971). 
• The victory marks the 45th NCAA Championship for Middlebury Athletics, averaging nearly one per year in the 50 years of Division III history which ranks third.
• Middlebury has won 81 games during the national tournament, including 20 in a row following today's triumph.
• The Panthers have won 51-straight contests dating back to 2022.
• Middlebury and Salisbury have played each other 11 times. While the Seagulls hold a slight edge in the series (6-5), the Panthers have won each of the NCAA Championship contest meetings. 
• With four goals today, Shue moved into a tie for the school record with 106 points this season. Jane Earley set the mark last spring, and Shue also holds the third-most  (105) from a season ago. 
• Shue and Rowley both moved up on the single-season goals list. Shue owns the school mark with 84 from last year, and is second this year with 81. Rowley is tied for third place with 80 this spring.
• Rowley tallied 24 points during NCAA Tournament action and is among just 15 players ever to achieve the feat. 
• With six wins in the circle today, Adams moves into third place on the Panther's career list with 221 draw controls, doing so in just two seasons. 

At the conclusion of the contest, Shue was lauded with the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player award, while Adams, Rowley, Shue and Kylie Wilson each earned a spot on the all-tournament team. 

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE