Good would be an understatement, average a misnomer, and ineffective a lie. Invaluable is the word of choice to describe the play of goalie Dan Hicks '11 versus Trinity (Conn.) last Saturday. Named the NESCAC Player of the Week, Hicks helped lead Bowdoin to a thrilling 2-0 win against the Bantams.
Bowdoin will next face Tufts at home today at 3:00 p.m. in its last game of the regular season. The Polar Bears are coming into the match eyeing one of the top four places in the NESCAC, and thus a home game in the NESCAC quarterfinals. Currently, Bowdoin is in sixth place with a 4-3-1 record (9-3-1 overall).
"It's a big deal for seniors to have another home game," said co-captain Tom Wakefield '10. "But more seriously, some of the away fields are a bit unusual. Having the home field is a real advantage."
Bowdoin's victory last Saturday over Trinity, ranked 11th in the nation, pushed the Bantams to a 10-2-1 record (5-2-1 NESCAC). The loss also put an end to a five-game winning streak that Trinity had been enjoying. The Polar Bears were able to keep the Bantams scoreless, despite being outshot 12-9.
Hicks was as solid as the posts he stood between. Despite rainy conditions, Hicks made seven stops—the most saves he has been forced to make all season—in net to collect his sixth clean sheet of the year.
"He played an incredible game," said Wakefield.
In the 35th minute, Zach Ostrup '13 fired in a shot past Trinity keeper Grant Schonberg to capture his first career goal. The tally gave Bowdoin a lead that it would never relinquish.
Trinity put the pressure on in the second half with eight shots and four corner kicks, but the Bowdoin defense was up to the challenge.
With less than eight minutes remaining in the game, a Trinity penalty kick had the chance to be the equalizer. Hicks made a decisive stop on the shot, to preserve the 1-0 lead.
However, he was not done for the game. With 1:31 left in the match, instead of preventing a goal, Hicks scored one.
A Trinity foul gave Bowdoin a free kick from about 70 yards out. Hicks booted a long ball from the Bowdoin half that skipped on the wet turf and sailed by Schonberg into the net. It was Hicks's first career goal.
Commenting on Hicks's performance, midfielder David Shaeffer '11 said, "I don't believe in miracles, but on Saturday I saw one."
Last year, Bowdoin slid by Trinity with a 2-1 win, but fell to Tufts 3-1 in their last game of the season. The Polar Bears had a quick exit from the playoffs as they lost to Middlebury in the NESCAC quarterfinals.
"This year we had our setbacks but we're playing our best soccer right now," said Hicks. "We are scoring consistently and are stronger in the midfield than at the start of the season. It's tempting to think how far we could go in the playoffs, but we need to be focused on the Tufts game first."
Hicks joined Eddie Jones '12 to become the second Bowdoin player to earn the NESCAC Player of the Week Award this year.