The second-ranked Middlebury field hockey team has earned the number two seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament. The Panthers host #16/seventh-seeded Amherst on Saturday from Peter Kohn Field.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury is the only school to appear in every conference tournament since the inaugural edition in 2000.
• The navy and white have claimed six of the last eight NESCAC Championships. The 10 crowns pace the conference.
• The squad has a 94-6 record in its last 100 games on the friendly confines of Peter Kohn Field.
• The Panthers are searching for their 15th-straight berth to the NESCAC Semifinals.
• Middlebury is near the top of the conference in multiple categories, tying for the league lead in scoring margin (+2.40), while ranking second in penalty corners (131). The squad is third in goals scored with 45 and a 3.00 scoring average.
• The Panthers have recorded nine shutouts and held opponents to just nine goals headed into postseason action.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• The trio of Addie Chandler, Emma McCann and Megan Fuqua steers an offense that has scored two or more goals in 10 contests. Chandler leads the Panthers with 11 goals, four game-winning tallies and 27 points. McCann looks to continue a solid junior season that slots her second in the NESCAC in assists (10) alongside six goals and a trio of golden tallies. She has recorded a point or more in three of the last five contests. Fuqua is one of five players to log 830 minutes and has found the back of the net nine times, highlighted by two hat tricks earlier this fall.
• Other strong performers this season include Claire McMichael, Hadley Crowther, Ally Kennedy, and Emma McNealy. McMichael is one of five players to have double-digit points with 11, scoring five times, including the game-winning goal in the regular-season finale against Williams. Crowther (5G), Kennedy (3G, 2A) and McNealy (3G, 1A) have started every contest this fall.
• Tessa Herbst and Lily Stockwell anchor the defensive unit. Herbst has played a squad-high 894 minutes and contributed five assists, while Stockwell sports six helpers and a team-best two defensive saves in 875 minutes of game action.
• Izzy Redzic and Madeline DiLemme have split action in front of the Middlebury cage. Redzic has started all 15 contests, sporting an 8-1 mark with a 0.27 goals against average (GAA) over 450 minutes. DiLemme sits with a 5-1 record, a 0.94 GAA and 14 saves in 447:33 of action.

ABOUT AMHERST

• Amherst makes its 23rd appearance in the tournament and searches for its first league championship. 
• The Mammoths have 11 victories in NESCAC postseason action.
• Amherst is fourth among league programs with 125 penalty corners and 228 shots.

MAMMOTHS TO WATCH

• Genevieve Caruso leads the Mammoth attack with 13 goals and six game-winning tallies, ranking second in the conference in both categories. The forward has recorded at least a point in nine of 15 games, highlighted by a hat trick against Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) earlier this season.
• Cate LaFreniere (5G, 3A) and Caroline Busler (3G, 5A) have double-digit point totals, while Bella Kim (3G, 2A) has accumulated eight.
• The Amherst defensive trio of Emily Huehn, Katie Kantrovitz and Maya Harrington has played in all 15 contests and has combined for a pair of assists. 
• Goalie Grace Puchalski has appeared in 14 games, tallying a 1.51 GAA and 41 saves.

SERIES HISTORY

• Middlebury and Amherst meet for the 47th matchup, with the Panthers holding a 37-8-1 advantage in the all-time series. The programs squared off earlier this fall, as the navy and white logged a 3-0 victory on September 19.
• The schools have met seven times in the NESCAC Tournament with Middlebury winning the last five meetings. 
• The Mammoths claimed the lone quarterfinal showdown by a 2-1 score in 2000.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Championship Central
• NESCAC Championship Records

The four quarterfinal winners meet in the semifinal round on Saturday, November 7 at the highest remaining seed. The semifinal victors battle in the championship game on Sunday, November 8 at the site of the semifinal host.