MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Facing the top team in the nation, Plymouth State University recovered from a slow first quarter to hold #1 Middlebury College to just one goal in the second quarter during a 22-1 setback at Kohn Field on Tuesday afternoon.
Middlebury burst out of the gates with 12 unanswered goals in the opening quarter, but PSU found its footing in the second, limiting the powerful Middlebury attack to just one tally.
Plymouth State drops to 5-3 on the season. All three losses have come against nationally ranked teams. Middlebury remains unbeaten at 8-0.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 22, #1 Middlebury 1
- Plymouth State (5-3)
- Middlebury (8-0)
How it Happened:
- Middlebury, which jumped up to number one in the country in this week's ILWomen/IWLCA Division III poll, relied on its up-tempo pace to score early and often in the first quarter on the way to a 12-0 lead.
- PSU settled in during the second quarter as the defense locked down the Middlebury attack and sophomore Piper Sherbert (Freeport, Maine) made three saves to keep the hosts to just a single goal.
- Plymouth State kept the momentum into the third quarter, holding Middlebury to five goals in the frame.
- The hosts tacked on four in the fourth before senior Devon Mello (Laconia, N.H.) got PSU on the board with a free position goal to account for the final score.
By the Numbers:
- Sophomore Emily Le Do (Portsmouth, R.I.) led Plymouth State with three ground balls and two caused turnovers.
- Junior Autumn Nelson (Weare, N.H.) chipped in with two caused turnovers, while classmate Julia Mahoney (Stratford, Conn.) added two ground balls.
- Junior Olivia Croke (Norwell, Mass.) finished with a pair of draw controls.
- Sherbert finished with four saves before giving way to sophomore Amanda Auditore (Medford, Mass.) in the second half.
- PSU went 11-for-13 in clear attempts.
- Plymouth State has played three nationally ranked opponents in the last 16 days. PSU hosted #9 Colby College on Mar. 13 and visited #17 Bowdoin last Wednesday prior to today's contest.
- PSU has outscored its opponents by an 89-13 margin in its five wins.
Up Next:
- PSU opens Little East Conference (LEC) play on Saturday (Apr. 2) when the Panthers visit the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for a 1:00 p.m. game.
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