BRUNSWICK, Maine — The Middlebury College women’s lacrosse team on Saturday lost its first game of the season and its top ranking in NCAA Division III, but bounced back on Monday to defeat the No. 2 ranked team on the road.
The Panthers, at 6-1 overall and 2-1 NESCAC now ranked No. 5, were set to play at No. 3 Franklin & Marshall on Wednesday after the deadline for this edition of the Independent and will host NESCAC rival Amherst at 2 p.m. this Saturday.
On this past Saturday, host Bowdoin (6-1, 3-1) rallied from a three-goal second-half deficit to top the Panthers in overtime, 11-10. Polar Bear Annie Glenn scored the game-winner 1:18 into overtime, ripping a free-position shot high into the net.
After a 6-6 first half, Panthers Sara DiCenso, Hollis Perticone and Henley Hall scored to make it 9-6, Middlebury, with 21:24 remaining in regulation. Bowdoin responded with a 4-0 run, taking a 10-9 lead on a Glenn goal at 8:22. Perticone forced overtime for Middlebury by converting a free position shot with 2.2 seconds left in regulation.
Bowdoin held advantages of 28-19 in shots and 18-11 in draw controls. Panther goalie Kate Furber made a career-high 11 saves. Mary O’Connell led the Panther offense with two goals and four assists, while Perticone tallied three times and Emma McDonagh twice. Perticone added four draw controls and Delaina Smith led the team with three ground balls. Glenn netted three goals for the Polar Bears, while goalie Kayli Weiss made four stops.
On Monday, the Panthers scored three times in the final 5:49 to pick up a 6-4 win at The College of New Jersey (4-1).
In a low-scoring first half, TCNJ took a 2-0 lead on goals from Allie Gorman and Emily Kratz before freshman Kate Zecca threw in a free position at 0:04 to make it 2-1 at the break.
The Lions’ Kathleen Jaeger made it 3-1 2:12 into the second session, but 2:27 later O’Connell answered, with an assist from Georgia Carroll.
At 16:06, Alex Fitzpatrick made it 4-2, Lions, by netting a free position, but McDonagh soon afterward converted a pass from Perticone to make it a one-goal game.
Then the Panthers took over down the stretch.
O’Connell tied the game with 5:49 remaining, after a feed from Zecca. O’Connell gave Middlebury the lead 3:15 later with a successful free position. Perticone then controlled the draw, leading to a Casey O’Neill insurance goal on a feed from DiCenso with 1:30 remaining. Perticone again won the draw, and the Panthers ran out the clock.
Furber made 10 saves for the Panthers, and defender Alex White picked up five ground balls. Lions goalie Miranda Chrone stopped two shots as TCNJ earned a 27-12 edge in shots at goal.