The #10/third-seeded Middlebury women's soccer team ships off to Massachusetts for the final weekend of the 2025 NESCAC Tournament. Top-seeded Tufts battles fifth-seeded Colby on Saturday at 4:00 p.m., followed by the Panthers against #12/second-seeded Williams at 6:30 p.m.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury came out firing in Saturday's conference quarterfinals, tallying two first-half goals en route to a 2-0 triumph over sixth-seeded Hamilton.
• The squad pursues its first NESCAC title since 2021 and its sixth overall.
• Middlebury has secured a spot in 24 of the 25 conference tournaments since 2000. That metric is tied with three other programs for the second most in the championships' history.
• The Panthers are tied for second with 25 victories in the conference postseason. Only Williams has more, tallying 33 in 24 appearances.
• Middlebury clinched its 17th NESCAC Semifinals berth, marking the first time in four years that the squad has made the final weekend.
• The Panthers have secured double-digit wins in eight of the last 10 competitive seasons.
• Middlebury has 14 different goal scorers and 19 players with a point heading into the weekend.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Olivia Colby paces the team with five assists and nine points. Her five helpers are slotted in a share for fifth in the conference.
• Taya McClennen and Gigi Day have been standout performers in the midfield. McClennen owns a squad-best four goals, while Day is right behind with three, including the game-winner in Saturday's quarterfinals against the Continentals.
• Middlebury's defense is tied with Williams for the fewest goals allowed (six). Tessa Broderick has the most minutes of any field player (1,285). Captain Roshann Purcell is the only Panther to start all 16 contests and has logged 1,244 minutes.  
• The first-year duo of Wynne Braemer and Kacy Walker has impressed on the backline, combining for over 2,000 minutes of action. Walker sits tied for third on the squad with six points on two goals and two assists.
• Livia Davidson continued her strong senior campaign in net, making eight stops against Hamilton for her sixth shutout of the year. The goalie has allowed the fewest goals (four) and paces the NESCAC with a 0.933 save percentage.

ABOUT WILLIAMS

• Williams cruised to a 3-0 triumph over Bowdoin in Saturday's conference quarterfinals.
• The Ephs are making their 20th appearance in the semifinals and look to make the NESCAC Championship match for the 14th time. Williams is also tied with Amherst for the most conference titles with eight.
• The squad has 10 different goal scorers and 13 players who have recorded at least one point.
• Williams has not conceded a goal in five of the last six contests and has held opposing offenses to 9.9 shots per contest. 

EPHS TO WATCH

• Maya Lloyd paces the Ephs offense with eight goals and 18 points. The forward/midfielder comes into the weekend with a point or more in three consecutive games.
• Elizabeth Stophel (4G, 8A) and Lucy Carrel (6G) complete the Williams' trio of double-digit point getters with 16 and 12, respectively. Stophel's eight helpers are tied for second in the conference alongside Wesleyan's Maria Utz.
• The Ephs' defense has been bolstered by Reece Willison and Paige Nelson, who each have tallied over 1,000 minutes played. Ansley Burns has started all 16 contests and contributed two goals and three assists.
• In goal, Margaret Huelin paces the conference with 10 shutouts and has a 0.380 goals against average (GAA). 

ABOUT TUFTS

• Tufts tallied the game-winning goal in the 63rd minute to slip past eight-seeded Wesleyan by a 2-1 margin.
• The Jumbos are seeking their second conference title.
• Tufts looks to make the championship contest for the fourth time and the first since 2017.
• The squad is competing in its 24th NESCAC Tournament and sits fourth with 15 victories.
• Tufts enters the weekend at 14-1-2 and has won three straight contests.
• Elsi Aires (10G, 4A) and Reese Birch (7G, 6A) pace the program with 24 and 20 points, respectively. Aires' ten markers also lead the conference.
• Goalkeeper Gigi Edwards has recorded the most minutes of any Jumbos player (1,142) and allowed only five goals in 13 contests.

ABOUT COLBY

• Colby pulled a 2-0 upset of fourth-seeded Amherst to book its trip to the semifinals.
• The Mules look for their initial conference title in their 12th postseason appearance.
• The program also searches for its second championship game after falling to the Mammoths in penalty kicks a season ago.
• Colby comes into the weekend with 10 victories. It is the third time in program history that the squad has hit that mark.
• Abigail Jarvi leads the Mules' attack with 10 goals and 21 points. Amanda Schneider (5G, 2A) and Claire Walsh (4G, 3A) have also bolstered a Colby offense that has a share of second in goals scored (33).
• Splitting time in net, MK Marshall and Sadie Gardner each have over 600 minutes played and a combined 53 saves.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury and Williams meet for the 61st time with Williams holding a 30-21-10 advantage in the all-time series. The Ephs grabbed a 1-0 win to close the regular season in Massachusetts less than a week ago. 
• The programs have met 13 times in the conference tournament. Williams has a 6-4-3 edge in the matchup, including a 4-1-2 mark in semifinal action.
• Should the Panthers and Jumbos meet, it will be the 35th all-time meeting. Middlebury has a narrow 15-10-10 lead in the series and has taken both matchups in the NESCAC postseason in the 2000 championship (2-0) and 2013 semifinals (2-1).
• If Middlebury and Colby battle, the meeting will be the 35th matchup. The Panthers have grabbed 28 wins in the series, including a 3-0 mark in the conference tournament. 

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

The winner of the championship will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA  Tournament. The full field for the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship will be released on Monday, November 10 at 11:00 a.m.