The women's soccer team played in two close overtime games last weekend against NESCAC rivals.
The win slipped away from the Polar Bears in their game against Middlebury on Saturday, 6:34 into overtime.Sunday's matchup against Williams ended in a double-overtime tie.
The Polar Bears spent most of their first game down by two goals. They staged an impressive comeback late in the game to push Middlebury into extended time, and at that point, either team could have gone away with the win.
Middlebury's Rachel Madding scored the goal that eventually won the game for the Panthers, but it was a controversial point. There was a debate about whether the ball had actually crossed the goal line, but the referee ultimately said it was in.
Goalkeeper Louise Johnson '14 made a total of nine saves, keeping the game in reach.
"I'm the last defender, but I have a lot of faith in my team," said Johnson.
The Polar Bears tied Williams the following day, breaking Bowdoin's five-year losing streak against the Ephs.
Captain Celeste Swain '12 called it an "awesome result, because we'd normally get killed."
"Louise really saved us," said Swain, referring to Johnson's save of a penalty kick that could have swung the results. Johnson made a total of eight saves during the game, continuing her consistent performance.
Going into overtime in both of its games this weekend could have been a result of the team's ineffective use of opening minutes.
"They were really rocky, and everything on the field wasn't meshing together," Johnson said of the beginnings of the games.
Johnson suggested that the Polar Bears are more mobile than in past years and thus are exerting more pressure on their opponents.
Also, the team has changed its formation of 4-4-2 from last season to 4-3-3, which "generates good offense," according to Johnson.
Head Coach Maren Rojas explained that the team only needs to tweak little things in its actual plays, like "taking care of the ball."
"Our team is really coming together and they motivate me each day," she added. "I'm excited to work with this talented crew."
Swain and Johnson both see their team as a contender in the competitive NESCAC.
The conference is one of the toughest in D-III because "it can really be anyone's game. There is only a slight margin of difference between the No. 1 seed and No. 11 seeds," said Rojas.
The small margin that differentiates NESCAC teams is, perhaps, the cause of the Polar Bears' four overtime games in only six matches.
"I have no regrets on the weekend, and I am confident the team is getting better and better with each performance," said Rojas.
Ellery Gould '12 came one goal closer to breaking the Bowdoin record with a goal scored in the Middlebury game, bringing her career tally to 37 goals—the school record is 38.
Tomorrow, she will have the potential to break the record while playing Connecticut College.
"We really want the win. And this time, with no overtime," said Swain of the Connecticut College game.
Johnson said she was excited for the rest of the season. She said the team is "looking forward to [hopefully] winning the NESCAC and getting some W's on our record."