MIDDLEBURY — Despite the Middlebury College women’s soccer team’s upset loss to Hamilton in the NESCAC quarterfinal round, the 11-3-2 Panthers are going to the NCAA Division III tournament for the 10th time.
The 18th-ranked Panthers, whose credentials were boosted by a 1-0 win on Oct. 24 over then undefeated No. 4 Williams, will play at an NCAA regional at No. 13 MIT this weekend.
The Panthers have won four NCAA regionals, most recently last year, and the program advanced to the 2013 final four.
Middlebury will take on unranked Western Connecticut State (17-1-2) in a first-round game on Saturday, and then on Sunday meet the winner of MIT (18-1-1) and Castleton (11-7-2).
Among those teams the Panthers have only faced Castleton this fall, picking up a 3-0 road win.
They have common foes with each of the other teams in the regional, however. Middlebury won at Keene State, 5-0, while Western Connecticut faced Keene twice, earning 2-1 and 2-0 victories.
MIT and Middlebury have each faced Tufts and Williams. Both defeated Tufts by one goal, the Panthers by 2-0 and the Engineers by 2-1. MIT lost at Williams, 1-0.
The Panthers’ 1-0 loss to Hamilton in the NESCAC tournament snapped what had been a nine-game Middlebury winning streak in which they outscored their opposition by 21-2.
Sophomore goalie Ursula Alwang has an 0.59 goals-against average behind a defense anchored by senior center back Alissa Huntingon. Sophomore Virginia Charman and freshman Eliza Van Voorhis lead the attack with five goals and an assist apiece, while sophomore Sabrina Glaser has chipped in with three goals and five assists.