ADDISON COUNTY — Middlebury fell in its Division I first-round game Tuesday as the high school field hockey playoffs opened, while in D-II Mount Abraham and Otter Valley will take the field for Friday quarterfinals.
The No. 9 Tigers’ quest for a second-straight D-I crown ended with a 3-1 loss at No. 8 Mount Mansfield on Tuesday. Tiffany Danyow’s late first-half goal tied the game at 1-1, but the 6-7-2 Cougars scored twice in the second half for the victory. Goalie Baily Ryan was credited with 11 saves for the 1-12-1 Tigers.
In D-II, the Eagles amassed a 9-4-1 record against D-I competition and earned the No. 3 seed. They open their quest for their first D-II title since 2006 (when they entered the playoffs with a 6-5-3 record) with a home quarterfinal against Woodstock (8-6). The Eagles and Wasps have not yet met this fall.
The winner of that game advances to a semifinal to be played on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at Middlebury College against either No. 2 U-32 (13-1) or No. 7 Milton (3-10-1). The Eagles did not play against either of those teams this season.
OV compiled a 7-5-2 record this fall, including a 3-4-1 mark against D-I competition and a 4-1-1 record against other D-II foes. They earned the No. 5 seed and will travel on Friday to face defending champion Harwood (9-4-1). The winner of that game plays a semifinal at Middlebury College on this coming Tuesday vs. either No. 1 Windsor (13-0-1) or No. 8 Spaulding. The Otters posted a tie at Windsor, but did not face the 4-10-1 Tide this fall. 
The D-II final will be played at Middlebury College on Saturday, Nov. 3, at a time to be announced.