MIDDLEBURY, VT – The Ephs closed out their regular season today with a 1-0 loss to the Middlebury Panthers. Rachel Madding’s goal in the 19^th minute landed the Panthers the second seed for the NESCAC playoffs. The Ephs and the Panther both finish the season with a record of 7-2-1 in the NESCAC and 10-3-1 overall, but due to the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Ephs finish third in the regular season standings.

With 18:01 the clock, Madding received a through pass from Julia Favorito. When both Eph goalie Laura Wann and a defender came out to challenge, Madding was able to make a quick move and finish on the open net.

The Ephs’ best opportunities came in the second half. With under twenty minutes to play, Sachi Siegelman played a through ball to Brett Eisenhart up ahead.  Panther goalie Jocelyn Remmert beat Eisenhart to the ball, though, and denied her a shot.  With ten minutes left on the clock, Siegelman took a rocket from just inside the 18 but was unable to find the back-of-the-net.  Chloe Kuh had the Ephs’ final scoring chance in the 83^rd minute, but Remmert was able to make a diving save to keep the Panthers in front.

The two teams were pretty evenly matched offensively: Williams had eight shots on the day while Middlebury had ten.  Defensively, Wann posted seven saves while Remmert had six.

The Ephs look to bounce back as playoffs begin on Saturday.  The third-seeded Ephs will host sixth-seeded Hamilton in the quarterfinals. The game begins at 11:00.