#2 Panthers Ground Red Hawks, 15-7

Recap, photo courtesy of Middlebury

Second-ranked Middlebury scored seven of the eight goals recorded in the first half, as the Panthers went on to collect a 15-7 road win at Montclair State (4-4) on Thursday. Free-position goals played a key role in the game with Middlebury scoring on eight attempts and the Red Hawks converting five times. The Panthers (7-1) return to NESCAC play on Saturday, traveling to seventh-ranked Amherst for a 2:00 p.m. start.

Middlebury scored on its first three possessions of the contest, as Casey O'Neill scored from the top of the crease with 1:05 expired. Georgia Carroll and Hollis Perticone both scored on free-position attempts 12 seconds apart for a 3-0 advantage less than four minutes into the game.

The hosts got on the scoreboard with 24:28 showing when Jessica Andreula converted on a free-position attempt. The Panthers netted the final four goals of the opening stanza, with three of them coming on free-position shots. Kirsten Murphy made it 4-1, before Grace Getman drove to the net on the left side and fired a shot into the upper-right corner for a four-goal cushion.

Sara DiCenso (9:50) and Kate Zecca (7:26) closed out the scoring on plays originating from the eight-meter arc, as the Panthers went into the break holding a 7-1 edge.

The Red Hawks tallied first in the second half, as Michaelah Reynolds tucked a shot into the top-left corner on a free-position attempt. Montclair State sandwiched two goals around a score by Middlebury's Emily Barnard, cutting the difference to 9-4 with 22:06 remaining.

The visitors went on a nice run, scoring six of the next seven goals, extending the lead to 15-5 with just under five minutes on the clock. Three of those scores came on free-position attempts, as MG Gately picked up Middlebury's final tally with 4:47 left in the stanza. The Red Hawks added two late goals by Rhiannon Brown, making it a 15-7 final.

The Panthers spread out the offense with 10 different players recording a goal. Hollis Perticone led the way with three, while Zecca, Murphy and Getman each tallied twice. Perticone led the team with four draw controls and three ground balls, while Addy Mitchell caused a game-high three turnovers. In goal, Julia Keith made four saves to earn the victory.

Brown netted three goals for MSU, while Leanne McCloskey boasted eight draw controls and Allyn Lilien scooped up five ground balls. Amanda Maguire played the opening 11:50 of the game and made one save, while Lilien made 11 stops the rest of the way.

Middlebury held a 38-14 advantage in shots and a 27-18 edge in ground balls. The Panthers finished 8-18 on free-position shots and the Red Hawks went 5-8.