MIDDLEBURY — Visiting No. 6 seed Hamilton rode an early goal and strong defense to a 1-0 victory over the No. 3 Middlebury College women’s soccer team in a NESCAC quarterfinal on Saturday.
The result snapped a nine-game unbeaten streak for the Panthers and left them with an 11-3-2 record. After their defeat earlier last week of previously undefeated Williams, then the No. 3 team in NCAA Division III, the Panthers might have a slim hope of an at-large NCAA bid.
Hamilton’s Maddie Dale scored for the Continentals in the third minute following a failed Middlebury clearing attempt. Dale gathered the ball just outside of the penalty box, and blasted a shot that pinged off the left post and bounced all the way across the goalmouth before crossing the line.
In the 32nd minute the Panthers produced their best opportunity of the opening half, but Hamilton goalie Emily Dumont dove to deny Virginia Charman’s 15-yard shot from the right toward the lower right corner.
Middlebury had a scoring chance just seconds into the second half, but Dumont collected Charman’s header off a cross. 
The Continentals nearly doubled their lead in the 67th minute, when Katja Dunlap laced a shot from 18 yards toward the upper-left corner that Middlebury goalie Ursula Alwang (four saves) punched just over the crossbar.
Middlebury controlled most of the territory but got few good looks at Dumont (seven saves) as time wound down despite their 17-9 edge in shots at goal.