LEWISTON, Maine — The Middlebury College field hockey team on Saturday defeated host Bates, 5-0, a result that locked down the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC tournament for the Panthers, who improved to 13-1, 8-1 in league play.
Middlebury, ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division III, was set to host No. 20 Williams on Wednesday. The Panthers will host a NESCAC quarterfinal on Saturday, with the time and opponent to be determined by Wednesday’s league games. Undefeated Bowdoin will be the top seed, and barring an upset this weekend will host the NESCAC final four the following weekend.
The Panthers’ victory at Bates was their ninth straight win since a loss at Bowdoin and their fifth straight shutout.
Annie Leonard struck first for Middlebury in the 12th minute on an assist from Grace Jennings. The assist for Jennings gave her a team-high 10 helpers.
Middlebury’s third of eight penalty corners in the game resulted in a 2-0 lead in the 14th minute, when Lauren Berestecky fed Pam Schulman. With about eight minutes remaining in the period, Schulman scored on a penalty stroke for her 13th goal of the season to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead at the halftime break
Leonard struck again in the 62nd minute, scoring on a reverse chip into the left corner for her team-leading 15th of the season. A minute and a half later, the Panthers made it 5-0, when Susanna Baker scored with an Audrey Quirk assist.
Two Bates goalies combined for four saves, while Panther goalie Emily Miller went untested. Middlebury held advantages of 13-1 in shots and 8-1 in penalty corners.