HADLEY, Mass. - Middlebury College, winner of six consecutive NESCAC Women's Lacrosse titles, will look to claim an unprecedented seventh crown this weekend when the Panthers host the semifinals and final of the 2007 NESCAC Women's Lacrosse Championship at Peter Kohn Field in Middlebury, Vt. The action gets underway on Saturday with top-seeded Middlebury taking on seventh-seeded Williams at 12:00 p.m. and will be followed shortly after with fourth-seeded Colby dueling sixth-seeded Amherst at 2:30 p.m. The 2007 NESCAC Women's Lacrosse Championship concludes on Sunday, May 6, with the championship game getting underway at 12:00 p.m.

Top-seeded Middlebury (12-1, 9-0 NESCAC) wrapped up the number-one seed and a first round bye on April 21, as a Panther victory over Connecticut College combined with an Amherst loss to Bowdoin put Middlebury out of the reach of its opponents in the NESCAC standings a week before the end of the regular season. The Panthers finished the conference slate with an unblemished record thanks to a 15-8 victory over Tufts on Saturday, making it the seventh year in a row that Middlebury has finished its NESCAC schedule with a perfect league mark. Since the inception of tournament play in 2001, the Panthers have hosted the tournament each year, posting a 12-0 playoff record and winning the last six NESCAC crowns. Middlebury heads into the weekend leading the conference in both offense and defense, scoring 13.77 goals per game while giving up on average 7.71 over the course of 13 contests this season. Junior midfielder Amanda Smith (Greenwich, Conn.) paces a balanced Panther attack, as her team-high 43 points on 24 goals and 19 assists has eclipsed the 11 points she picked up last season. Senior captains Kim Walker (Ridgewood, N.J.), an All-NESCAC First Team selection last year, and Claire Edelen (Sparks, Md.) follow Smith closely on the score sheet. Walker ranks third overall in points (39) and is first on the team in goals with 33, while Edelen has collected a team-leading 23 assists this season and is second to Smith in points with 41. Sophomore goalkeeper Blair Bowie (Washington, D.C.) has been stellar in net for Middlebury all spring and leads the league in goals against average at 7.50.

The Panthers will face a familiar foe Saturday, as seventh-seeded Williams (6-7, 4-5 NESCAC) and Middlebury will be meeting for the third year in a row in the semifinals. The lone meeting of the regular season between Williams and Middlebury went to the Panthers on April 4, a 15-12 decision in Middlebury, Vt. The Ephs, one of only three teams to have reached the semifinals every year the tournament has been held (Amherst, Middlebury), advanced out of the first round in thrilling fashion by overcoming a seven-goal deficit late in the second half to win 14-13 in overtime over second-seeded Trinity on Sunday, snapping a five-game losing streak in the process. It was the first time in tournament history that the seventh-seed had overcome the second-seed in the first round, and it also marked the third year in a row that Williams has won as the lower-seeded team in the first round. For the Ephs, senior midfielder Kaylan Tildsley (Andover, Mass.), a 2006 NESCAC All-Conference First Team member, is third in the NESCAC in points this spring with 63, tallying 27 goals and a team-leading 36 assists through 13 games. Sophomore midfielder Britt Spackman (Newton, Mass.) also ranks among the conference leaders in scoring, as her 2.54 goals per game ties Middlebury's Walker for third among all NESCAC players in the category.

Fourth-seeded Colby (11-4, 5-4 NESCAC) returns to the semifinals this weekend for the first time since 2003 thanks to a 10-9 win over NESCAC rival Bowdoin in the first round on Sunday. After starting the season at 3-3 and 1-3 in NESCAC play, the Mules have gone 8-1 over their last nine games, the lone loss coming at Wesleyan. The offense has been a strong point over Colby's current six-game winning streak, as the Mules, who are second overall in the NESCAC in scoring with an average 13.20 goals per game, have outscored opponents during their run by almost nine goals. Eight different Colby players have already broken double-figures in goals this season with sophomore midfielder Kate Sheridan (Hingham, Mass.) leading the team with 38 goals though 15 games, five of which are game-winners. Senior midfielder Allie Libby (Needham, Mass.), a 2006 NESCAC All-Conference First Team honoree, ranks first in the NESCAC for the second year in a row in total points with 67 on 27 goals and team-high 40 assists so far this season.

Saturday's second semifinal may be a battle of strengths when the Mules' high-powered offense takes on the solid defense of sixth-seeded Amherst (9-6, 5-4 NESCAC). While the Jeffs are last in the conference in goals per game, averaging only 9.73, the defense has allowed an average 8.20 goals overall, second only to Middlebury among conference teams. Saturday's showdown will be a rematch of the regular season finale for both teams, as Colby upended Amherst in Amherst, Mass., 11-6 less than a week ago. The win gave the Mules a home game in the first round of the playoffs, while the Jeffs were forced to hit the road on Sunday for their first round matchup against Wesleyan, which they won 13-5. The semifinal meeting between the two teams will be the first in the seven-year history of the NESCAC championship. Amherst has reached the championship game in five out of the six years the tournament has been held, while Colby will be looking to make its first appearance in the title game ever. Statistically for the Jeffs, senior attacker Alyssa Briody (Hopewell, N.J.) leads the team in points with 64 on 19 goals and a NESCAC-best 45 assists, while sophomore attacker Amy Craig (Denver, Colo.) is second with 52 points, tallying a league-leading 49 goals and adding in three assists through 15 games. Junior goalkeeper Linda McEvoy (Rochester, N.Y.) has seen action in every Amherst contest this season, posting an 8.31 goals against average to rank second among league netminders.

2007 NESCAC WOMEN'S LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round - Sunday, April 29 at Higher Seeds
No. 7 Williams 14, at No. 2 Trinity 13 - OT
No. 6 Amherst 13, at No. 3 Wesleyan 5
at No. 4 Colby 10, No. 5 Bowdoin 9

Semifinals - Saturday, May 5 at Middlebury
No. 7 Williams at No. 1 Middlebury  - 12:00 p.m.
No. 6 Amherst vs. No. 4 Colby - 2:30 p.m.

Championship - Sunday, May 6 at Middlebury
Semifinal winners - 12:00 p.m.