MEDFORD, Mass. — The Middlebury College women’s lacrosse team opened its season on Saturday with a 12-8 win over host Tufts. The Panthers were ranked No. 3 in the preseason NCAA Division III poll and will travel to Connecticut College this coming Saturday.
Middlebury took to a 10-2 halftime lead and withstood a Tufts rally in what was the NESCAC and season opener for both teams on this past Saturday.
Middlebury grabbed a 9-1 lead on a free-position score by Liza Herzog (three goals, assist) at 5:27 of the first half. Herzog, Laurel Pascal and Bridget Instrum all recorded two scores in the first half for Middlebury.
Kali DiGate had both Jumbo goals in the opening 30 minutes, during which Middlebury outshot Tufts, 16-8.
In the second half, the Jumbos outshot Middlebury, 14-7, and scored the first five goals. They narrowed the gap to 10-7 on DiGate’s third goal at 17:48. Five different Jumbos scored during the run, including Caroline Ross, Annie Artz and Gabby Horner in a span of 56 seconds.
Middlebury stopped the Jumbo momentum with back-to-back goals from Herzog and Katie Ritter to regain a five-goal advantage (12-7) with 13:34 remaining. The Panthers limited the Jumbos to just one goal from that point on.
Ritter finished with two goals for the Panthers, and Chrissy Ritter chipped in a goal and an assist. The Panthers held an 18-6 advantage on ground balls, including four by Erin Binotti, and Catherine Fowler won six of the Middlebury’s 12 draw controls. Alyssa Palomba made 10 saves in the Panther cage, five in each half.