MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — Host/Division III No. 3-ranked Middlebury College of the North Atlantic Division received a game-high six goals from Sarah Mines (So., Austin, Texas) as the Panthers claimed a 16-7 victory over Carleton College from the Heartland Division at home in the Middlebury Natatorium during the opening round of the 2022 Women’s Division III Collegiate Club Championship.
Middlebury – which secures at least a Fourth Place finish in the final standings of the championship courtesy the win – is seeking to remain the lone Women’s Division III Club Champion as the Panthers claimed the inaugural/2019 title with a 14-11 defeat of Washington University in St. Louis at Villanova University in Villanova, Pa., on April 28, 2019. The 2020 and 2021 Women’s Division III Collegiate Club Championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic as this year’s event marks the second women’s Division III Collegiate Club Championship in the history of the sport.
The home team never trailed in the contest as Maya Gee (Sr., Waikoloa, Hawaii) broke the ice with 5:12 left in the first quarter to stake the Panthers to a 1-0 lead. Mines followed with a natural marker at 4:34 prior to Estelle Martin (Jr., Palo Alto, Calif.) burying a man-up chance at 3:49 to build the spread to 3-0. Mines (3:23) and Freddi Mitchell (Fr., Chicago, Ill.) (1:35) capped off the opening surge as Middlebury exited the opening frame with a commanding 5-0 lead.
Mines rifled in a penalty shot at 5:10 of the second quarter and Martin dented the twine at 4:13 to push the gap to 7-0. Eesha Shah (Sr., Cedar Falls, Iowa/Phillips Exeter Academy) put Carleton on the board at 3:26, but Mikayla Pascual (Sr., Carson, Calif.) (3:07), Martin (2:13) and Francesca Whitecross (Jr., New York, N.Y.) (1:51) responded as Middlebury opened up a 10-1 margin with under two minutes left in the first half.
Chloe Trubenbach (Jr., Cambridge, Minn./Milaca) chipped a goal off Carleton’s deficit prior to the break by spinning in a shot with 1:30 left on the clock as the “Righteous Babes” pulled to within 10-2 at the break.
Gee (4:34) and Tori Winter (Jr., West Concord, Minn./Triton) (3:02, man-up) traded scoring blows to start the third quarter prior to Mines swishing man-up (1:35) and even-strength (50 seconds) to close out the frame as Middlebury entered the fourth quarter carrying a 13-3 scoreboard advantage.
Teddy Parkinson (F.r, Hood River, Ore.) (5:38) and Mitchell (3:49) began the final seven minutes with back-to-back Panthers’ strikes prior to Shah (3:25) and Mitchell (2:43) landing scoring blows as Middlebury held a 16-4 lead with under three minutes left to play.
Carleton chopped away at its deficit over the remainder of the contest as Shah (1:46, man-up), Trubenbach (1:07) and Keely Fisher (Sr., Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo West) (18 seconds, man-up) deposited shots to shrink Middlebury’s final margin of victory to 16-7.
For the Panthers, Mines (five), Martin (three) and Mitchell (three) each posted hat-tricks, while Gee tacked on a pair. Pascual, Whitecross and Parkinson also notched markers.
In cage, Sophia Immorlica (So., Cold Spring, N.Y.) made three saves in the first half and Adelaide Mahler (Jr., Sarasota, Fla.) stopped three shots in the second half.
Across the tank, Shah posted a trio of tallies with Winter, Fisher and Truebenbach each accounting for solo strikes. Goalkeeper Grace Malooly (Fr., Salt Lake City, Utah/Judge Memorial Catholic) made 13 saves in taking the loss.
The loss guarantees Carleton will next compete at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 1, with the loser finishing fifth in the five-team championship standings. Middlebury will return to the pool at 5:00 p.m. as the Panthers take on No. 1 the University of California-Santa Cruz with a spot in the National Championship game on the line.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Carleton College | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | – | 7 |
| Division III No. 3 Middlebury College | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | – | 16 |
| Middlebury Goals: | Sarah Mines (5); Estelle Martin (3); Freddi Mitchell (3); Maya Gee (2); Mikayla Pascual; Francesca Whitecross; Teddy Parkinson | |||||
| Carleton Goals: | Eesha Shah (3); Tori Winter; Keely Fisher; Chloe Truebenbach | |||||
| Saves: | Middlebury – Sophia Immorlica (3, 14 minutes), Adelaide Mahler (3, 14 minutes) ; Carleton – Grace Malooly (13) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Middlebury – 10 ; Carleton – 7 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Middlebury – 3-for-7 ; Carleton – 3-for-10 | |||||
| Sprints: | Middlebury – 3-for-4 (1st. 2nd, 3rd); Carleton – 1-for-4 (4th) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Steve Sargalski; Geoff Deasey | |||||
Carleton College’s Eesha Shah (#12) goes for the ball against Middlebury College’s Freddi Mitchell (#12)
Carleton College’s Amelia Watt (#14) shoots over Middlebury College’s Willow Stone (#14)
Middlebury College’s Sarah Mines (#6) defends Carleton College’s Colette Pollard (#6)
