Fourth-ranked Tufts used an 8-1 run over the final 36 minutes of regulation to force overtime, but
Caroline Adams netted a player-up goal 1:05 into the added period to lift the top-ranked Middlebury women's lacrosse team to a 10-9 triumph and a spot in Sunday's NCAA Championship game.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Parker Hanson got the scoring started with 4:40 elapsed in the initial session. Skylar Lach saved possession by scooping a loose ball at goal-line extended and flipped the ball to Adams. The senior found Hanson wrapping around the crease for a finish between Jumbo goalie Devon Chipman and the left post.
- The navy and white doubled the advantage nearly four minutes later. Maeve Lee nabbed a ground ball in the defensive zone and dashed upfield in transition before burying a bouncer into the right side for a 2-0 lead.
- Adams carved a path through the zone with 9:53 played, splitting a pair of defenders and uncorking a bid into the lower portion of the right panel to push the lead to three and prompt a Tufts timeout.
- With 13:49 to play in the second stanza, Hanson linked with Lach as she broke toward the crease and dunked a close-range shot to cushion the lead. Just over a minute later, Adams found a wide-open Siobhan Colin in front for a quick rip into the left panel and a 5-0 advantage.
- The Jumbos snapped the scoreless stretch at the 10:56 mark with a player-up finish from Neta Leschley on a feed from Eleanor Helm. Middlebury parried quickly, as Adams found Maggie Spehr for a turnaround tally with 9:23 left, making it a 6-1 ballgame.
- Maeve Lee hitched and fired a free-position shot that grazed the right panel for a 7-1 lead with 7:06 played. Hamilton dialed up a sidewinding bid during a free-position chance just over three minutes later to make it 8-1.
- Allie Zorn showcased a strong individual effort to halt the three-goal run, splitting a pair of Panthers and dashing to the crease before tucking her shot under the crossbar (8-2) with 2:53 left in the first half.
- Adams had an excellent bouncing look denied by goalie Sophie Powless, allowing for a quick runout. Elsa Schutt hustled in transition and rustled the left panel while her side was a player down, setting the halftime line at 8-3.
- Tufts started fast in the third quarter. Helm faked high and rolled the ball over the line from the edge of the crease to make it 8-4 with 40 seconds gone. Zorn added a solo tally on a bouncer past goalie Elizabeth Savage, trimming the lead to three and drawing a Middlebury timeout.
- Lach snuffed the momentum from the eight-meter arc, driving in and depositing a high-angle bid into the right panel (9-5) about three minutes later.
- Helm had a strong chance from the edge of the crease with 6:45 expired, but netminder Annie Spring elevated her stick to pluck the top-shelf attempt.
- Sophia Claps rallied the Jumbos with the final two goals of the frame, including an unassisted tally with 1:10 left for a 9-7 contest heading into the fourth.
- The reserve goalies made an impact, as Sophie Powless and Spring traded monumental stops separated by 38 seconds. Powless made an initial save on Hanson before thrusting her stick in the air to stop the bounce from trickling in, while Spring stonewalled Claps with a kick save at the 8:17 mark.
- Tufts sliced the deficit to 9-8 with 8:34 gone in the frame, courtesy of an individual sidearm finish into the left panel from Zorn.
- Claps forced the contest into overtime (9-9) with a stunning cross-crease finish into the upper-left corner with 2.9 seconds remaining.
- An infraction in the draw circle gave Middlebury the opening possession of added time. After a Tufts card led to a player-up chance, Adams capitalized, firing a shot that grazed the left panel and punched Middlebury's ticket to a fifth consecutive NCAA Championship contest.
NOTES
- Adams tallied five points (2G, 3A) during the semifinal bout. The golden goal is her seventh of the season and 20th of her career.
- Caroline Messer posted a well-balanced effort of three ground balls, three caused turnovers and a pair of draw controls.
- Lach and Lee each tallied twice in the contest, while four other players found nylon in the matchup.
- Spring was critical in relief, logging a season-high six saves over the final 29:27 of action to earn her first collegiate win.
- The Panthers made their 25th appearance in the national semifinal and advanced to their 15th national championship game. The team has appeared in the NCAA title matchup in each season it has competed since 2017.
- Middlebury owns a 29-5 advantage in the all-time series against the Jumbos, including three straight NCAA Tournament contests.
The Panthers meet the winner of #2 Wesleyan and #3 Salisbury in Sunday's NCAA Championship at 3:00 p.m. from Judson Stadium in Rochester, New York.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
