The past two weeks have been a mixed bag for men's soccer. The Polar Bears went 2-1-1 over that stretch, improving to 7-2-1 (3-2-1) for the year. Last week the team routed Colby-Sawyer 4-0 and drew 0-0 against Wesleyan. The week before, it blanked Husson 6-0 and lost to Connecticut College 1-0.
"The way we've been playing, we should be confident coming into our upcoming games," said David Shaeffer '11.
In the game versus Colby-Sawyer, Bowdoin struck first when Hugh Fleming '10 passed to Peter Kelley '12, who pocketed the ball into the corner of the net. In all 10 of Bowdoin's games this season, the team to score first has won.
In the 19th minute, a foul in the box led to a Bowdoin penalty kick. Ben Denton-Schneider '11 took the kick, but was stopped by a diving Chris Feltes. Just two minutes later, the Polar Bears found the back of the net again as Carl Woock '10 collected a ball from Fleming and passed the ball in for the score.
In the second half, Michael Gale '13, who has seen an increase in playing time upon the injury of Eddie Jones '12, scored a pair of goals to seal the victory, giving him four goals on the season. Garrick Sheldon '10 also had four saves.
In action against Wesleyan, both teams' defenses held off their opponents' attacks. In 110 minutes of play, Bowdoin edged Wesleyan 14-12 in shots. In the 49th minute, Wesleyan had three consecutive shots that pressured the Bowdoin defense, but Dan Hicks '11 and the backs denied the attack.
In the tie, Hicks was only forced to make two stops compared to the Cardinal keeper's six. Wesleyan kept its undefeated record intact and is currently leading the NESCAC with a 3-0-2 record (6-0-3 overall).
The game against Husson was defined by Bowdoin's fiery offense. In just the second minute of play, Tim Prior '11 drove a loose ball off of the post and into the net. Fleming followed this tally with a turn-around shot in the 44th minute.
In the second half, Zach Ostrup '13 fired a corner kick into the Husson box, where a diving Sean Bishop '12 headed the ball in. Later, Ostrup crossed a ball to Gale, who also headed it in.
Nick Powell '12 added two insurance goals in the final ten minutes of play while Sheldon stopped all five shots in the Polar Bear net.
Against Connecticut College, Bowdoin saw its five-game winning streak come to an end. Despite outshooting the Camels 19-8, the Polar Bears failed to find the back of the net.
Bowdoin's best scoring chances came from Hunter Clark '13 and Bishop, who both hit the crossbar in attempts on net. With 6:22 left in the second overtime period, Connecticut senior Micki Lenzi was fouled near the top of the box, setting up a dangerous 20-yard free kick. Trevor Prophet of Connecticut College, recently named NESCAC Player of the Week, took the kick and fired the ball in the upper netting. The strike was the only goal that Bowdoin has conceded in its last eight matches. In the loss, Hicks made three saves, while Camels keeper Alex Martland made five.
Commenting on the loss, which was Bowdoin's first since its season opener defeat to Amherst, Coach Fran O'Leary said, "The guys have responded in a very strong fashion. The competitive teams in this league [the NESCAC] concede very few goals. Our [defensive] showing is a credit for everyone, especially our two strong keepers."
This weekend Bowdoin will host Williams at noon on Saturday and Babson at 2 p.m. on Sunday.