Playing in their first ever NCAA Division III women’s lacrosse semifinal, Colby did everything needed to win. The Mules withstood an early onslaught from three-time defending champion Middlebury, rebounded twice from three-goal deficits, dominated the third quarter to briefly claim the lead, then forced overtime with a miracle turnover and game-tying goal with 16 seconds remaining in regulation.
The only thing they didn’t do was slay the dragon.
Middlebury’s Skylar Lach scored 2:45 into the extra session to lift the Panthers to a 13-12 overtime win and a spot in the national championship game for a fourth consecutive season at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va.
Middlebury (20-1) faces Tufts (21-1) in Sunday’s final, seeking its fourth straight title and fifth since 2019. Tufts defeated Gettysburg 18-13 in Friday’s second national semifinal, setting up a rematch of the 2022 NCAA final.
The drama in the first game was off the charts as Colby (17-4) came incredibly close to snapping a nine-game losing streak against its NESCAC rival while at the same time putting an end to Middlebury’s run of 23 straight NCAA tournament wins that dates back to 2018.
“That was a battle today, and credit to Colby because they were a big part of us getting out of our rhythm,” Middlebury coach Kate Livesay said. “They forced us into some situations that were uncomfortable for us. Things were not easy.”
Not that it looked like there would be much drama in the early minutes. Middlebury opened the game with three straight goals — all by All-American Hope Shue — in the first five minutes and seemed firmly in control with a 5-2 lead after one quarter.
The Panthers had an average margin of victory of 15.7 goals per game in this NCAA tournament, but evidently, Colby wasn’t intimidated. Playing an intelligent game of extended possessions, crisp passing, lock-down defense and timely scoring, the Mules came within one errant pass of registering the biggest tournament upset in recent years.
Three first-half goals by Colby’s leading scorer Julia Jardina (five overall) helped to offset Shue’s early offense and allowed the Mules to claw back, closing to within 7-5 at halftime.
Three Colby goals to start the third quarter, including two tallies from Ainsley Dion, actually gave the Mules the lead for the first time at 8-7 midway through the quarter. Caroline Adams answered with her third of the game for Middlebury three minutes later and knotted the score at 8-8 by the end of the period.
Two more goals by Shue, who eclipsed the 300-goal milestone during the contest, and two from Maggie Coughlin helped the Panthers to a 12-10 lead with three minutes remaining. But Colby wasn’t done, scoring on Gennie Littlejohn’s free position goal with 2:43 left, and then adding a miracle in the closing seconds.
As Middlebury was trying to close out the win with possession in the final 30 seconds, Mules’ freshman defender Gisele Uva intercepted a pass at midfield, passed ahead to Olivia Kraus, then ran straight to the crease, where she received a return pass from Kraus and netted her first career goal, tying the game with 16 seconds left.
Colby goalie Jillian Kane then grabbed the spotlight in overtime, making a great save against Shue on a free-position attempt during Middlebury’s first possession. Colby then called a timeout to set up its first attempt to win the game, but an overthrown pass in the offensive zone gave the ball back to the Panthers.
Middlebury didn’t waste its second chance. Operating from the right wing, Shue dodged toward goal, drew two defenders, then passed off to Lach, who buried the game-winner from five yards out.
With six goals and two assists Friday, Shue continued to add to her season and career records. Her 115 points in 2025 are a new Middlebury single-season record. She is also the program’s all-time leader in career goals (302) and points (387).
Despite the semifinal drama, Livesay says Middlebury is right where it wants to be, playing for the program’s 11th NCAA crown.
“The purpose becomes really clear once you get to this point,” said Livesay, who has piloted the Panthers to five of their NCAA titles. “To be in the hunt for a national championship is where we believe we should be, and that clarity brings us a drive and a hunger that is sometimes hard to manufacture during the regular season.”
In the second semifinal, Tufts built a 5-0 first quarter lead and never trailed to register the 18-13 win over Gettysburg, earning its third trip to the championship game in the last five years and setting up an all-NESCAC final. Margie Cardon, the team’s leading scorer with 64 goals coming into the game, tallied five goals to lead Tufts, with Emma Joyce adding three.
Playing in its third semifinal in four years, Gettysburg twice pulled to within one goal in the second half but never tallied the equalizer. The Bullets were still within two at 14-12 on Emily Crane’s second goal with 7:27 left in the game, but Tufts answered by scoring four of the final five goals to seal the win.
Senior Sophie Smith paced the Bullets (19-4) with a team-high three goals, while goalie Juliette Devarenne kept Gettysburg within reach with 10 saves.
Sunday’s championship will be the second meeting of the season between Tufts and Middlebury. The Panthers handed Tufts its only loss of the year, 16-15, on April 12. Middlebury has won five straight and 12 of the last 13 in the series between the NESCAC foes.
