HARTFORD, Conn. – A nine-goal first half helped second-seeded Middlebury College post a 13-4 victory over third-seeded Amherst College in Saturday afternoon's NESCAC Championship Semifinal contest at Sheppard Field on the campus of top seed and host Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.

Amherst (12-4) will await an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III Championship which will be announced Sunday evening. The selection show is slated for 9:30 p.m. on NCAA.com. Middlebury (16-1) advances to the NESCAC title game Sunday, May 8 at 12 p.m. and will look to knock off five-time defending champion and top-seeded Trinity (15-2) at Sheppard Field. 

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS

• Middlebury got the game started at the 29:14 mark when Alli Sciarretta scored on a feed from Chrissy Ritter to give the Panthers an early, 1-0 advantage.
• Middlebury doubled its lead at the 25:52 mark when Hollis Perticone capitalized on a feed from Mary O'Connell. Two minutes later, O'Connell made it 3-0 with an unassisted strike.
• After a 10:22 span of scoreless lacrosse, Bridget Instrum found the back of the net for the Panthers. O'Connell provided the assist on the scoring play that lifted Middlebury to a 4-0 lead.
• Sciarretta then scored her second of the game on a dish by O'Connell at the 14:23 mark to push the score to 5-0.
• With 10:37 remaining in the first stanza, Sciarretta collected her third goal of the game following a feed from Sara DiCenso to balloon the advantage to 6-0.
• Sciarretta added a fourth goal less than a minute later, and Perticone chipped in her second with 7:59 left in the half to give Middlebury an 8-0 lead.
• With 5:03 left in the frame, Perticone delivered her third marker to give the Panthers a 9-0 lead at intermission.
• Amherst was held to just two shots in the first 30 minutes, as Mia Haughton '16 hit the post early in the half, while Devin O'Connor '16 had a shot stopped by goalie Katie Mandigo.

SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS

• Early in the second half, Haughton had a chance to get Amherst on the scoreboard but her attempt was stopped by Mandigo.
• Middlebury increased its lead to 10-0 3:34 into the second half as Megan Griffin scored a man-up goal following a dish from Instrum. Griffin then scored her second of the stanza – this one on a feed from O'Connell – to extend the lead to 11-0.
• At the 18:46 mark, Emma McDonagh scored to make it 12-0 as O'Connell handed out her fifth helper of the game.
• Claire Cagnassola '17 and Andrea Rijo '17 each fired a shot that ventured just off target before Rachel Passarelli '16 found the back of the net to give the Purple & White their first tally of the contest to make it 12-1 at the 14:10 mark.
• Passarelli then scorched the nylon a second time at the 11:28 mark to make it 12-2, before McDonagh halted the Amherst rally with her second of the game just over a minute later to make it 13-2.
• With 3:46 on the clock, Kelly Karzewski '18 netted a man-up goal to set the differential at 10 goals (13-3), before Haughton scored with four ticks left in the game to set the final score at 13-4.  

BY THE NUMBERS

• Amherst goalie Christy Forrest '16 suffered the loss, making four saves in the game.
• Mandigo picked up the win for Middlebury and made five saves.
• Forrest led Amherst with two ground balls and caused a turnover, while Rowena Schenck '18 earned two draw controls.
• Evie Keating led all players with four ground balls, while Laurel Pascal contributed a trio of draw controls to help the Panthers seal the win.