BOX SCORE
BRUNSWICK, Maine - Madeleine McQueeney scored a pair of goals to
lead the Bowdoin College field hockey team to a 3-1 win over
Middlebury College in an NCAA Regional Final on Sunday. The Polar
Bears (17-2) earn their fourth-consecutive "Final Four" appearance
with the win, and will play against host school Ursinus College in
the NCAA Semifinals next Saturday (2:00 p.m.). Middlebury ends
their season with a record of 14-4.
Lindsay McNamara gave Bowdoin the lead 15 minutes into Sunday's
game, after an entry pass into the circle by Kate Gormley was
intercepted by a Middlebury defender. McNamara took control of the
loose ball and tucked the ball inside the right post to give the
hosts a 
one-goal lead at 19:37.
Middlebury answered just moments later following a pair of penalty
corner opportunities. Dana Heritage ripped a shot from the left
side that Chase Delano redirected into the cage to deadlock the
score with 16:33 remaining in the half. The Panthers had an
outstanding chance to take the lead seconds later, when Lindsay
McBride received a pass on the far post, but Bowdoin's Emileigh
Mercer made a fantastic diving stop to keep the game
deadlocked.
The flurry of action continued on the other side of the field as
Bowdoin replied with a pair of penalty corner chances. Caitlin
Pentifallo made two great saves, including a blocker stop on a shot
by Julia King that seemed destined for the top-right corner of the
net.
Following another penalty corner, Bowdoin regained the lead as a
King shot rebounded off of Pentifallo's leg pads to the waiting
stick of Madeleine McQueeney, who banged home the 
loose ball to push the Polar Bears ahead with 6:32 left before the
break. Bowdoin carried their lead into halftime, holding a 16-5
edge in shots and 11-4 lead in corners.
Neither team could garner a quality scoring chance until
midway through the second period when a penalty corner for Bowdoin
resulted in a scramble in front of the goal. Madeleine McQueeney
slapped home the loose ball to give the Polar Bears a 3-1 lead with
15:22 to go. Bowdoin's defense stifled the Panthers from there,
allowing just two shots in the second period to seal the
victory.
Pentifallo made eight saves in all for the Panthers, while
Mercer made five stops for the Polar Bears. It is the ninth
straight victory for Bowdoin over Middlebury, dating back to the
current senior's rookie campaign of 2005. The Polar Bears defeated
the Panthers in the 2007 NCAA Championship game, 4-3.
Photos courtesy of Brian Beard and Creative Images
Photography. Photos from all the NCAA Regional games are
available at the link above.
