The 12th-ranked Middlebury women's soccer team earned a spot among the final 16 Division III squads on Sunday afternoon with a 2-1 victory over #15 University of Rochester.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The first shot of the match came at the 19:22 mark. Hannah Nagashima stepped to the top of the box and delivered a bid to the upper portion. Panther goalie Livia Davidson elevated to tip the ball over the crossbar for the save.
• Middlebury created its initial opportunity in the 30th minute when Gigi Day dialed up a shot from about 30 yards out. Her attempt flew to the center of the goal, where Yellowjacket goalie Sydney Moore secured the bid.
• The hosts broke through in the 34th minute. Fiona Linnau connected with Taya McClennen on the doorstep, who directed her shot past an outstretched Moore into the lower-right corner to establish a 1-0 edge.
• With 3:22 remaining in the session, Megan Anderson broke through the Panther backline and tapped a dribbling attempt that hopped wide of the right post to send the 1-0 match into halftime.
• Rochester carved out an opportunity early in the second half. Remi Cherkas pushed the tempo and fired a shot on goal that Davidson smothered at the 50:09 mark.
• Chloe Swindle nearly added to the lead in the 64th minute, getting her head on a feed from Carolina Espinosa that went just over the crossbar.
• With 21:04 to play, Riya Kunderan had an attempt from 20 yards out. Davidson fell on the bid for the save.
• Lauren Tracey doubled the Panther lead at the 77:48 mark. Swindle sent an excellent cross to the left side of the box, where Tracey waited for a one-time finish that extended the margin to two.
• Nagashima buried a penalty kick with 18 ticks left, but Middlebury played keepaway in the final seconds to secure the 2-1 win.

NOTES

• McClennen and Tracey netted their fifth and fourth goals of the campaign, respectively.
• With the victory, the Panthers advance to the sectional weekend for the first time since the 2018 campaign.
• Sunday's meeting between the Panthers and Yellowjackets was the first between the institutions in women's soccer.

Middlebury advances to next weekend's NCAA Third Round against third-ranked Tufts at a location to be announced. Stay tuned for a full preview in the coming days.