Dan Hicks '11 had a shutout. Eddie Jones '12 scored two goals. Tim Prior '11 and Nick Powell '12 had assists. And the men's soccer team had a decisive victory and an overtime loss. All was normal for the Polar Bears last weekend.
The Polar Bears dropped a hard-fought match 3-2 against Williams on Saturday, but rebounded with a strong 3-0 win against Babson on Sunday.
Currently in sixth place, Bowdoin will look to rise in the standings tomorrow when the team travels to Trinity to play its penultimate game of the season. Bowdoin will look to improve its 8-3-1 (3-3-1 NESCAC) record against Trinity. Trinity comes into the match No. 2 in the NESCAC with a record of 5-1-1.
In last year's game against Trinity, impressive goaltending from both sides kept the score low, but Bowdoin won 2-1, outshooting the Bantams 17-6.
Against Babson, Bowdoin extended its non-NESCAC record to 5-0. The Bears were in firm control against the Beavers and set the game's tempo from the kickoff.
Bowdoin pulled ahead early in the game with two goals from Jones. The tallies, which came 34 seconds apart in the eighth minute, were near replays of each other. Both were strikes to the upper netting from crosses off of the boot of Powell.
But, Powell wasn't done. In the 31st minute, he received a pass from Macgill Eldredge '12, dribbled across the top of the box, and ripped a low rocket into the corner of the net. Sean Bishop '12 and Call Nichols '12 added to the strong performances of their fellow sophomores; in the 87th minute they blocked consecutive shots that were Babson's best scoring chances of the game.
Dan Hicks '11 made one save in the clean sheet, while Beaver goalie Peter Crowley made six. This season, the Polar Bears have outscored non-NESCAC opponents 18-1.
Co-captain Tom Wakefield '10 said, "We're moving the ball well, and doing better—finding the ideal combination of short and long passes."
Co-captain Matt Ostrup '10 agreed, saying, "The win against Babson boosted our confidence and helped us come into the week with some momentum."
Against Williams, the Ephs got on the board first when Gaston Kelly hit a rising shot past Hicks.
Bowdoin responded in the 31st minute. A free kick deflected off a Williams defender and bounced off the crossbar to Prior, who connected with Hunter Clark '13 for Clark's first goal of the season.
Williams maintained pressure on the Bowdoin defense, playing forward a number of dangerous through balls. The Polar Bears, however, broke the deadlock. In one of the team's best goals this season, Jones played a free kick into the Williams box that was neatly flicked in by Prior. It was Jones's first game back since being sidelined by an injury.
Hicks kept the lead intact when he deftly stole the ball off of the foot of a Williams attacker, who looked close to scoring in the 68th minute.
However, with only 8:37 left in the match, the Ephs finally broke the Polar Bear line. Charles Romero collected a rebound from teammate Kelly and stuffed home the equalizer to send the game into extra time.
Williams held Bowdoin to no shots in the overtime period, and capitalized on its own opportunities. With 7:56 gone in the first overtime period, Joe Vella rifled a low free kick from 25 yards out that brushed Hicks' fingers as it bounced across the goal line and sealed the Williams win.
"We played an excellent game, but a couple of mistakes made the difference," said Ostrup.
The Ephs outshot the Polar Bears 19-8; Williams, ranked No. 20, is now third in the NESCAC with a record of 5-1-1. The loss made it difficult, but not impossible, for Bowdoin to reach one of the top spots in the NESCAC at sixth place.
Wakefield commented on the importance of overtime games, saying, "It can be really big to come out on top in a close overtime game."
The Bears are 0-2-1 in overtime this season.