MIDDLEBURY — The visiting Colby women’s lacrosse team upset Middlebury on Saturday, 14-12, thwarting a late Panther rally by scoring twice in the final 2:16.
The Panthers, who entered the game ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division III, dropped to 9-2 with their first league loss and are 5-1 in NESCAC play. No. 21 Colby improved to 6-4, 2-4 NESCAC, by becoming only the second team to reach double figures in goals vs. the Panthers and scoring a season high against Middlebury.
Colby scored the game’s initial four goals in the first 14:44, getting strikes from four players, before Middlebury got on the scoreboard when a cutting Erin Nicholas converted an MG Gately feed with 11:18 on the clock.
Free-position goals from Henley Hall, Kate Zecca and Emily Barnard were offset only by Camel Kendall Smith’s second goal of the game as the Panthers cut the lead to 5-4 at 3:24. Smith struck again for Colby, but Hollis Perticone won the ensuing draw and scored seven seconds later to make it 6-5 at 1:35, a score that stood at the half.
Colby then started the second half on another run. After Perticone set up Barnard to tie the score in the opening minute, the Camels went on a 5-0 surge over the next 10 minutes. Sasha Fritts scored her second of the game during the run, and Smith scored twice, including the goal at 19:59 that made it 11-6.
The Panthers responded with their own 6-1 surge to tie the game at 12-12 with 3:44 to go. Emma McDonagh and Nicholas recorded back-to-back goals to make it 11-8. After Maddie Hatch scored for the Mules, Perticone scored twice. She drove to the net at 9:53 and 35 seconds later cashed in on a feed from behind the net from Georgia Carroll to complete her hat trick and make it 12-10.
At 5:46 Nicholas converted a free-position, and two minutes later Kirsten Murphy also netted a free position to tie the score. But at 2:16 Camel Grace Cowell scored the deciding goal on a free position, and Grace Langmuir added an unassisted insurance goal at 1:20.
As well as three goals and an assist, Perticone controlled 12 draws and caused two turnovers. Nicholas added a hat trick, and Barnard tallied twice. Julia Keith started in goal and made six saves in 39:02, allowing 10 goals, while Kate Furber had two stops in 20:58 and allowed four goals.
Smith paced the Mules with five tallies, while Fritts scored twice and assisted on one. Colby goalie Izzy Scribano made 11 saves.
The Panthers will host two NESCAC games this weekend: No. 8 Trinity will visit on Saturday at 2 p.m., and Hamilton is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.
MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE FRESHMAN Emma White tries to strip the ball from a Colby attacker Saturday afternoon on Kohn Field.
Independent photo/Trent Campbell