MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College field hockey team won a pair of recent games to improve to 7-1, 4-1 in NESCAC play. Next up for the Panthers, ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division III, is a Saturday home game with league foe Tufts at 1:30 p.m.
On this past Saturday, Lauren Schweppe scored three times in Middlebury’s 4-1 win at Colby. Schweppe opened the scoring at 15:07 by converting a breakaway.
Annie Leonard made it a two-goal advantage for Middlebury 10 minutes later by tipping home a Grace Jennings shot.
Colby made it 2-1 2:49 later, but the Panthers soon answered. Caroline Knapp stopped an insert on a penalty corner from Audrey Quirk, and Schweppe shot from just inside the top of the circle and found the cage. 
Schweppe finished off the hat trick with 25:28 left in regulation on another penalty corner on a similar play.
Middlebury’s Emily Miller recorded three saves in 67:45, and Megan Collins added one stop. Two Colby goalies combined for eight saves. Middlebury finished with advantages of 22-13 in shots and 10-5 in penalty corners.
On Tuesday, Leonard scored five times and added an assist as the Panthers pelted non-league foe St. Lawrence, 7-1. The Saints dropped to 4-6. Jennings added a goal and an assist, Pam Schulman scored, and Molly Freeman picked up a pair of assists.
Middlebury held advantages of 27-7 in shots and 11-3 in penalty corners. Emily Miller made three saves in 65:47, and Collins mopped up. Goalie Julia Hudson made a dozen stops for the Saints.