MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Despite holding an edge in both shots and penalty corners, the 18th-ranked Amherst College field hockey team could not overcome two Panther penalty stroke goals as they fell to second-ranked Middlebury, 3-2 in a hard fought double overtime matchup Saturday afternoon at Kohn Field.

With the loss, Amherst falls to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in league play, while the Panthers improve to 3-0 and 2-0 in NESCAC action. Amherst returns to the turf on Thursday, Sept. 22 when they travel to Endicott for a 7 p.m. non-conference tilt, while Middlebury hosts Bowdoin on Sept. 24 at 12 p.m.

Middlebury struck first in the outing, taking advantage of a penalty corner at the 3:12 mark. Collecting the insert, Annie Leonard ripped a low hard shot towards net that found the stick of Lauren Schweppe and redirect into the netting.

Responding almost immediately, Amherst evened the score at 1-1 less than seven minutes later on an unassisted tally by Mary Margaret Stoll '17. Collecting a loose ball a foot inside the arc, Stoll dribbled to the right side before sending a shot past the outstretched leg of the Panther net-minder.

After 16 minutes of back and forth play in the middle of the field, Leonard gave the Panthers the edge once again. Awarded a penalty stroke after an Amherst infraction inside the arc, Leonard capitalized, rifling a shot into the left side of the goal to give Middlebury a 2-1 lead with 9 minutes to play in the opening half.

It took little time for Amherst to knot the score at 2-2 after intermission, with senior Sara Culhane corralling a loose ball just inside the arc and blasting a low shot by the pad of Panther goalie Emily Miller 2:21 into the second half.

The Purple & White nearly found the back of the goal in the 46th minute as Elizabeth Turnbull '18 found herself behind the Panther defense, however Miller was able to make an athletic sliding save on the play.  

Amherst controlled the momentum in the first overtime period, edging Middlebury in shots and penalty corners 4-1 and 5-0 while earning several opportunities to seal the game. Caroline Fiore '18 had her shot go just wide of the net after beating her defender in a 1-on-1 at the 72:26 mark and Miller was forced to come out of the goal and make a diving save on Laura Schwartzman '20 to keep the contest at 2-2 at the 82:45 mark.  

The Panthers sealed the victory on a second penalty stroke at the 96:54 mark in the second overtime period as Leonard collected a pass from midfield and drew a foul inside the arc. Leonard sent her shot into the top left corner of the goal for her team-leading sixth goal of the season to lift Middlebury to the 3-2 win.

GAME NOTES

• Emily Horwitz '17 (2-2) made nine saves in between the pipes for Amherst in the loss, while Miller (3-0) registered eight saves in the winning effort.
• Culhane led the Purple & White in shots on goal with five, while five other Amherst players put one shot on target apiece.
• Amherst edged Middlebury in both shots and penalty corners, 18-15 and 13-11, respectively, including a 6-2 and 6-2 advantage in both categories during the two overtime periods.