For the third time in program history, and second in the past three years, the Middlebury Panthers are the DIII field hockey national champions.
Interactive bracket | Box score
It was a battle of DIII field hockey heavyweights. Messiah and Middlebury were victors of the last two national championships. The Panthers jumped out early and wouldn't relent, defeating the Falcons 4-0.
Middlebury's Kelly Coyle got the scoring going in the 11th minute with the game's first goal. By halftime, the Panthers had scored two more. Audrey Quirk's early second half goal officially put the game out of reach, as Middlebury ended Messiah's 44-game winning streak. It was freshman goalkeeper Abby Furdak's seventh shutout of the season.
Messiah ends its unbelievable run 22-1 on the season. The Falcons had their chances, hitting the posts a few times. In the end, Middlebury's offensive attack was simply too much, as the Falcons walk away the 2017 DIII Field Hockey national champions.
Relive all the moments from the championship game below:
