With 3:25 left on the overtime clock, Skylar Lach tallied the game-winning goal to lift the #2 Middlebury women's lacrosse team to a 13-12 victory over #4 Colby in the NCAA Semifinals.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers came out firing to open the contest off the stick of Hope Shue, who tallied a hat trick in just 5:04 of game action to put Middlebury ahead 3-0. The highlight goal came via a behind-the-back marker that found the left panel.
• Colby answered at the 8:43 mark, as Kins Helmer tucked her shot inside the right post to make it 3-1.
• Middlebury tallied two of the next three goals on a quick stick marker from Lach and a bouncer into the right side of the net by Caroline Adams to increase the advantage to 5-2 after 15 minutes of action.
• After Adams scored her second just over three minutes into the second stanza, the Mules put together a rally. A player-up tally that found the right panel by Julia Jardina swelled into three-consectuive goals to cut the deficit to one (6-5) with 5:38 remaining.
• Shue extended the Panther lead to 7-5 on a free-position extra-player goal right before the halftime buzzer sounded.
• Colby came out of the locker room strong, ripping off three-straight tallies with a pair coming from Ainsley Dion, giving the Mules their first lead of the contest at 8-7 with 7:23 left in the third quarter.
• Middlebury tallied the final goal of the third on a muscle drive into the right panel by Adams to knot the contest at eight apiece.
• The Panthers flipped the script to open the fourth. After a caused turnover by Caroline Messer, Shue found Coughlin on the doorstep for a slicer into the left panel at the 14:03 mark. 
• Just 27 seconds later, Shue fired a free-position attempt that snuck into the bottom-right corner to give Middlebury a 10-8 lead.
• Colby countered with back-to-back goals from Jardina to knot the contest at 10-10 with 8:34 left.
• After a four-minute scoring drought, Coughlin and Shue rattled off consecutive markers to regain a two-goal edge (12-10) at the 3:33 mark.
• The Mules wouldn't back down as Gennie Littlejohn sent a bouncing free-position bid that snuck past Panther goalie Elizabeth Savage to cut the deficit to 12-11 with 2:43 remaining.
• Colby took advantage of a Panther turnover, tying the contests at 12 tallies apiece with 17 ticks left in regulation on a give-and-go between Olivia Kraus and Gisele Uva to send the contest into extra time.
• Middlebury opened the six-minute session with possession after a green card by the Mules carried into overtime. Shue made the best of the extra-player opportunity with a shot that was steered aside by Jillian Kane.
• Colby raced up the field, looking for the golden goal, but a high pass forced a turnover, giving the ball back to the Panthers.
• With 3:25 left, Shue found a cutting Lach from the left side. After juking her defender, the Panther buried her second of the day just below the top of the goal to send Middlebury to its fourth-straight national championship game.

NOTES

• Shue led the charge for the Panther offense, tallying six goals and two helpers. During the contest, the attacker became the first player in program history and seventh active across all three NCAA Divisions to surpass the 300 goals plateau. With her six markers, Shue is now one off her single-season program record of 83 set during the 2023 campaign.
• Lach scored her third game-winning goal of the season for Middlebury.
• The contest is Middlebury's first to end in overtime since an 11-10 setback against Bates in the 2019 regular-season opener.
• The Panthers earned their 32nd victory over Colby and their fifth in NCAA postseason action. It is the second-straight matchup to end in a one-goal difference, with Middlebury earning a 12-11 triumph on April 5 in Waterville, Maine.

Middlebury hunts for its 11th NCAA Crown when it plays the winner of #1 Tufts & #6 Gettysburg in the national championship game on Sunday at noon.

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE