Box Score LEWISTON, Maine – Senior Julia Favorito scored the game's only goal in the 53rd minute as No. 14 Middlebury College women's soccer defeated Bates College, 1-0, on Saturday at Russell St. Field.
The Panthers (9-1-2, 7-1-0 NESCAC) nearly doubled their total in the 56th and 63rd minutes with shots that went just wide while the Bobcats (3-7-1, 1-6-1) nearly found the equalizer in the 86th minute when an apparent goal was called back for offsides.
Abby Alexander '14 and the Bobcat defense held No. 14 Middlebury to one goal on the day. (Photo by Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)
On the scoring play, Middlebury's Jamie Soroka fired a shot on net from 12 yards away which Bates senior goalkeeper Anabel Schmelz (Monmouth Beach, N.J.) parried away. The ball remained loose in front of the net, eventually finding its way to Favorito who slotted the ball into the right side of the goal.
For the Bobcats, sophomore Lily Peterson (Duxbury, Mass.) headed a ball into the net off a lofted service from classmate Leah Humes (Beaconsfield, Quebec), but the goal did not count as the assistant referee judged Peterson to be offsides on the play.
The visitors mounted a sustained attack from the 78th to the 83rd minutes, registering four shots and two corner kicks during that span. Scarlett Kirk recorded three of her game-high eight shots over the period.
Middlebury goalkeeper Elizabth Foody made two saves for her fourth shutout of the season while Schmelz posted eight saves for the Bobcats.
The Panthers captured the better of the chances in the first half holding advantages in corner kicks (4-1), shots (9-3), and shots on goal (5-1).
Prior to the game, Bates honored its six seniors – Abby Alexander (Harvard, Mass.), Jaimie Cappucci (Saugus, Mass.), Julia Rafferty (Reading, Mass.), Schmelz, Kara Stefaniak (Needham, Mass.), and Chelsea Thompson (Farmington, Maine) – in their final NESCAC weekend home game.
Next, the Bobcats host Husson on Tuesday at 3 p.m. while Middlebury hosts Williams also on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
