MIDDLEBURY, VT -- Laurel Pascal scored eight goals to lead seventh-ranked Middlebury (10-3) to a 15-8 win over Union (7-5) through driving rain on Kohn Field. 

Trailing 1-0, Pascal netted three of the team's first four goals to give Middlebury a 4-1 lead at the 19:34 mark of the first half. Emily McGrail scored her second of the game for Union, converting a feed from Maggie Comiskey at 16:19 to make it a 4-2 game. Middlebury's Delaina Smith beat a defender and scored before Pascal netted a free position tally to put her team up 6-2 with 14:22 on the clock. McGrail struck again for Union, this time on a free position, before Katie Ritter answered with a pair of goals for the Panthers.

Pascal netted her fourth and fifth goals less than a minute apart, giving Middlebury a 10-3 with 6:35 left in the half. Ritter scored her third goal of the first session with an assist from Megan Griffin, before McGrail closed out the first half scoring with her fourth of the game. Leading 11-4 at the half, Pascal wasted little time adding to her total with a pair of free position goals in 55 seconds to give Middlebury a 13-4 lead. Union responded with a brief run, sparked by a pair of goals from Maggie Comiskey and one from Natalie Sullivan on a free position to cut the lead to 13-7 with 14:26 remaining. Middlebury's Bea Eppler scored the first of her career with an assist from Ritter at the 11:36 mark to stop the Union run.

The team's exchanged the game's final two goals as the Panthers emerged with the 15-8 victory. Pascal's eight goals came on 10 shots, as she went 5-5 in free position attempts. Ritter added three goals and three ground balls in the win. Hannah Deoul (5) and Catherine Fowler (4) paced the team in draw controls. Alyssa Palomba made four first-half saves to earn the win, while Madeleine Kinker (2 saves) and Katie Mandigo (1 save) each saw second-half action.

McGrail's four goals and three draw controls paced Union, while Comiskey added a pair with a helper. Jen Hughes made four saves in goal.

Union, which is 5-1 in Liberty League play, returns to league action for games this weekend. The Dutchwomen are at RIT Friday at 4 p.m. and at Rochester Saturday at 2 p.m.