Courtesy Middlebury Sports Information

CASTLETON —-The top-ranked Middlebury field hockey team had little trouble at Castleton (1-2) in its season-opener, handing the Spartans a 10-0 loss at Dave Wolk Stadium on Tuesday. The defending NCAA Champions return to action on Saturday with their NESCAC opener at Connecticut College beginning at noon.

Grace Jennings scored at the 5:57 mark and again at 7:30 to put her team on top 2-0 early. The lead grew to 4-0 when Molly Freeman found the back of the cage, before Grace Murphy sent a pass into the middle that was deflected in by Julia Richards. Kelly Coyle scored the final goal of the half after a penalty corner from 12 yards out for a 5-0 lead.

Just 4:12 into the second half, Erin Nicholas walked in wide open and fired a shot into the back of the net for a 6-0 advantage. Diana Milne and Amanda Bozorgi scored 39 seconds apart, increasing the Panther lead to 8-0 at the 47:47 mark. Danielle Brown added a goal, while Bozorgi netted her second of the game at the 60:07 mark for a 10-0 final.

Middlebury held a 40-3 shots advantage in the game and led 17-0 in penalty corners. Middlebury goalkeeper Megan Collins was not forced to make a save in 47:47 of action, while Grace Harlan made a pair of stops in the final 22:13. Tashia Pashby-Rockwood made 14 saves for the home team.