The second-ranked Middlebury field hockey team battled with #11 Bowdoin but came up short in a 2-1 shootout loss on Saturday at Peter Kohn Field. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• With 4:51 elapsed, Megan Fuqua blasted a pass towards the left post. Ellie Harrison cut in and attempted a redirect that went wide of the cage.
• The Panthers added another chance following a penalty corner with 1:39 remaining in the opener.. Claire McMichael tapped a quick pass to Fuqua for a shot that bounced off the pads of Polar Bear goalie Lauren O'Donald.
• Middlebury kept the pressure on in the second stanza. At the 16:42 mark, Emma McCann worked the ball inside the circle and sent a bid that bounced off O'Donald's blocker and up in the air. Bowdoin won the race to possession and cleared it out to avoid a second chance.
• Sarah Bona had a one-on-one chance against O'Donald with 7:40 left in the first half, but the Polar Bear goalie came out and made a clutch save to keep the game scoreless heading into halftime.
• Middlebury grabbed the lead at the 31:26 mark. Georgianne Defeo blitzed down the left side and sent a pass towards the right post. In a sea of navy and white, Addie Chandler broke free and tapped the ball into the right side of the cage for a 1-0 edge.
• The visitors countered with 7:05 left in the third stanza. Hannah Balmelli worked the ball to the right post and flipped a pass that deflected off a stick toward Mackay Bommer, who pushed it over the goal line to tie the contest at 1-1.
• At the 48:34 mark, Fuqua blasted a shot that was blocked by a defender's stick.
• With 1:51 remaining in regulation, Bowdoin's Maddie Mrva readied and fired a chance from the top of the circle, but McCann deflected it away.
• Middlebury had the final opportunity of regulation with less than 10 seconds left after a penalty corner. Keefe muscled a shot that O'Donald stuffed while falling backwards. With the ball loose, Grace Keefe grabbed possession and whipped in a bid that bounced off the left post with two ticks left, sending the game to overtime.
• The Panthers opened the first extra session with a strong chance. At 61:50, Fuqua took a behind-the-back flip pass from Keefe and aimed for the right side of the cage, but O'Donald kicked the bid away.
• With 4:06 left in the first overtime, Chandler cut to the left and blasted a riser that bounced off O'Donald's chest.
• The Polar Bears almost tallied the game-winner at the 72:29 mark. Katie Athanasoulas sent a pass towards the middle of the circle. Charlotte Crawford collected the loose ball and pushed a shot that Izzy Redzic kicked aside. 
• Neither side tallied a shot over the final 1:47 of the second overtime, sending the game to a shootout.
• After the Polar Bears missed their first attempt, Fuqua stepped up and beat O'Donald into the left side of the cage to put Middlebury ahead before Crawford countered with a shot into the right side to make it 1-1.
• Three combined stops later, Bommer tapped a shot down the middle to put the visitors ahead.
• Keefe stepped up as the last chance for Middlebury, but O'Donald sprawled out and directed the low left shot aside to seal the shootout win.

NOTES

• Chandler tallied her fifth goal of the year, while Defeo picked up her second assist.
• The programs met for the 59th time with the Panthers holding a slim 30-28-1 edge. 

Middlebury kicks off a two-game weekend on the road against Colby next Saturday at 11:00 a.m. before hosting #17 Wesleyan on Sunday at noon.