Thomas	Gross
Krueger	C. Pierce

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- Middlebury College jumped out to a 6-1 lead and never looked back, on its way to an 18-4 win over Bates in a NESCAC Women's Lacrosse quarterfinal game played on Kohn Field on Sunday.

The Panthers (9-4) advanced to the semifinals next weekend at Tufts, while Bates ends its season at 8-8 after earning its first bid in the NESCAC Championship since 2002. Middlebury will battle Colby in one semifinal next Saturday, while the host school will take on Williams. The games will take place on Saturday, May 2nd at 12/2:30 p.m., with the title game slated for noon on Sunday.

With the game tied at one, Middlebury ran off five straight goals over a 10-minute span to take a 6-1 lead. Chase Delano opened the run, followed by a free position goal from Sally Ryan and a nice feed from Delano to Dana Heritage for a 4-1 advantage. Following a pair of tallies, Bates ended the streak as sophomore Briana Gross (Andover, Mass.) netted her 23rd goal of the season. The Panthers answered with a 3-0 spurt to end the first half, taking a 9-2 lead into the intermission. Ryan scored the first two with assist from Heritage, while Heritage converted a free position tally to end the first half.

Ryan netted her fifth of the game on a free position to open the second half scoring. Elizabeth Garry scored on a quick-stick feed from Heritage, before Alice Demmerle found the back of the net to make it a 12-2 game with 21:02 remaining. Bates senior Caroline Thomas (Barrington, R.I.) netted her 46th goal of the year for the Bobcats at the 16:54 mark, but Middlebury followed with a 4-0 run to take a 16-3 lead with 6:35 left to play.

Heritage scored twice during the run that featured Middlebury's fourth and fifth free position goals of the game. Gross scored her second of the game for Bates with 5:15 remaining, before Katie Sparkes and Stephanie Gill scored for the Panthers to make it an 18-4 final.

Ryan ended the day with a six-goal effort to go along with an assist, while Heritage scored four with three helpers. Garry netted a pair of goals in the win, as Blair Bowie was forced to make just two saves in goal. Lily Nguyen also earned a pair of saves, playing the final 2:46 of the contest for the Panthers. Taylor Brown had a solid game for the Panthers, scooping up five ground balls and causing four turnovers on the afternoon.

Thomas and Gross each scored twice for Bates, with Thomas adding an assist. First-year Caroline Pierce (Weston, Mass.) scooped a team-high four ground balls. Sophomore Mara Krueger (St. Louis, Mo.) made nine saves between the pipes.

It was the final game for the three senior Bobcats: Lauren Kruck (Boxford, Mass.), Sarah Young (Charlemont, Mass.) and Thomas.

STATS: Middlebury 18, Bates 4