Courtesy of Bowdoin Sports Information

Amherst jumped out to an early lead just 4:59 into the contest when the ball deflected off the body of a Middlebury defender on the goal line, resulting in a penalty stroke. Carly Dudzik '12 (Darien, Conn.) ripped the ensuing shot past senior goalkeeper Becca Shaw to put the Jeffs on top, 1-0.BRUNSWICK, Maine - Middlebury's Lauren Greer '13 scored the game-winning goal on an overtime penalty stroke to lift the third-seeded Panthers over second-seeded Amherst 2-1 in the NESCAC Field Hockey semifinals Saturday at Bowdoin College. 

Greer's game winner capped an exciting overtime period that saw the Panthers garner most of the chances. Middlebury's Elinore O'Brien '14 drew Amherst first-year goalkeeper Rachel Tannenbaum (Berwyn, Pa.) out of the net and put a low shot on target that hit the foot of an Amherst defender. Greer stepped to the ball and buried the ensuing penalty stroke to boost the Panthers into the Sunday's Championship match. 

Middlebury (14-2) advances to the NESCAC title match for the fifth time and will be looking for their second conference crown Sunday against top-seeded Bowdoin. Amherst (13-3) must now hope for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when pairings are announced on Monday.

Middlebury responded before the intermission when Catherine Fowler '15 controlled a rebound in close and lifted the ball over a diving Tannenbuam at 24:50.

Hoping to carry their momentum into the second half, Middlebury generated a number of quality scoring opportunities on seven second half penalty corners. Keeping Amherst level, Tannenbaum made six second-half saves including a pair of stops on consecutive shots late in the period as the game remained deadlocked at the end of regulation. 

The Panthers held the advantage in both penalty corners (13-7) and shots (22-11). Tannenbaum made 10 saves in the loss, while Shaw made four stops.