MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The Union College field hockey team had its record-setting season come to a close on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championships, falling to #2 Middlebury College by a 4-1 score at Middlebury's Peter Kohn Field.
Union (14-7) hung with Middlebury (16-3) for three of the four quarters, but the Panthers scored three times in the third frame to pull away. Senior
Amy Vytopilova scored her team-leading 12th goal of the season to lead the Garnet Chargers, while Addie Chandler scored three times to pace the Panthers.
The Garnet Chargers more than held their own against the Panthers in the opening two frames, as the Union defense limited Middlebury to just two on-target shots. The visitors fought off a pair of penalty corners in the opening frame as the game remained scoreless after 15 minutes.
Union had its best chance of the opening half in the 19th minute, when a shot by senior
Rachel Ostiguy was deflected just wide of the post. The Panthers found the net on their fifth penalty corner attempt of the day late in the second frame when Chandler snuck a shot home off a pass from Megan Fuqua with 2:07 on the clock.
Middlebury came out strong in the third quarter, taking three corners and forcing three saves – two by junior
Tess Parker and a defensive save by first-year
Nadia Michienzi – before Chandler put home a rebound just 49 seconds in to double the Middlebury lead.
Union responded well to the goal, earning a penalty corner just over a minute later and holding some sustained possession. The Union corner unit remained hot soon after, when a shot by sophomore
Lily Durivage was saved but Vytopilova was there to sweep in the rebound for the team's ninth goal off a penalty corner in four postseason games.
The Panthers went back on the offensive after the Union goal, taking six more shots over the next 10 minutes and scoring twice to put the game out of reach. The visitors had two attempts on goal in the fourth quarter, but Izzy Redzic denied shots from Vytopilova and sophomore
Macy Goodwin to keep the advantage at three.
Middlebury finished the day with a 25-8 edge in shots, with Parker turning aside a season-high-tying 10 shots to go with Michienzi's defensive save.
The loss ends one of the most successful seasons in Union field hockey history, tying for second on the school single-season wins list and earning the first conference championship and NCAA Tournament victory in program history. This year's senior class – Vytopilova, Ostiguy,
Reese Fendelet,
Maddie Greco,
Molly Halliday,
Amelia Stevens and
Marion Stuntz – also will graduate as the winningest class in Union field hockey history with 52 wins over four years.
