HARTFORD, Conn. – The 15th-ranked Trinity College Women's Lacrosse team fell to No. 1 Middlebury College, 19-10, in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) showdown on Saturday. With the loss, the Bantams drop to 8–7 overall and 4–6 in the conference, while the undefeated Panthers improve to 15–0 overall and 10–0 in NESCAC play.

Trinity was led offensively by Kaeley Zito, who recorded a hat trick and picked up two ground balls. Sarah Marvin and Kelsey Restivo each added a pair of goals, while Caroline Lally, Brooke Kurtz, and Grace Denious chipped in one apiece. Restivo also notched two assists in the loss.

On the defensive end, Caroline Cohen and Samantha Hark each caused two turnovers, with Cohen adding two ground balls and Hark collecting one. June Trodden led the team with three ground balls, and also tallied one caused turnover and two draw controls.

In goal, Olivia Aguirre posted a .345 save percentage, making 10 saves on the day.

A minute into play, Panthers Skylar Lach potted the first goal of the game, which was responded by Kaeley Zito with an unassisted goal at 12:14 to balance the scales. The Panthers answered with three straight goals to build a 4-1 lead. Trinity's Caroline Lally broke the run with an unassisted strike, but Middlebury's Anna Spehr added a late goal to give the visitors a 5-2 edge after one quarter.

The Bantams showed life in the second frame, outpacing their first-quarter total with four goals. Marvin and Denious opened the quarter with back-to-back goals to bring Trinity within one, 5-4. Middlebury responded with two of their own before Restivo and Zito each scored unassisted to again close the gap to one, 8-7. The Panthers ended the half on a three-goal run, taking a 10-6 lead into the break.

Middlebury's offense remained potent in the second half, scoring nine goals to Trinity's four. Zito, Marvin, and Restivo each found the net in the third quarter, while Kurtz converted a Free Position shot in the fourth for the Bantams' 10th and final goal.

Despite Trinity's relentless effort on both ends of the field, the Panthers sealed their victory with five unanswered goals in the final frame, securing the 19-10 win.

The Bantams return to action on Wednesday, April 23, for their final regular-season matchup—a 6:30 PM NESCAC clash against Amherst College in Amherst, Mass.

TRINITY ATHLETICS