The field hockey team easily handled NESCAC rival Wesleyan 3-1 in Saturday’s season opener.
Katie Riley ’14 and Brooke Phinney ’13 each capitalized on first-half corner opportunities to push the Polar Bears to a 2-0 lead.
Bowdoin controlled the majority of possession, but struggled to defend the midfield at times and allowed Wesleyan several chances to attack on breakaways.
In the last minutes of the first half, Wesleyan took advantage of one breakaway possession when Cardinal senior Taryn Murray rebounded a deflected corner to put Wesleyan on the board.
The Polar Bears clamped down Wesleyan’s offense in the second half, which Head Coach Nicky Pearson attributes to her team’s ability to value its possessions and execute a balanced attack.
Rookie forward Rachel Kennedy ’16 scored the security goal from yet another scuffle on a corner at 18:37 in the second half.
The Cardinals recorded 12 saves over the course of the game, and Pearson noted that “their goalkeeper and circle defense created challenges for us.”
In order to break this staunch defensive front, the Polar Bears took advantage of corners to load up the goal area with more players, creating the imbalances needed to pressure Wesleyan’s defense
In Tuesday's National Field Hockey Coaches Association first poll of the regular season, Bowdoin moved from second to fifth place. At the time of the poll Bowdoin was 1-0, while all the other teams in the top 10 had played at least two games.
In a non-conference match on Wednesday the Polar Bears defeated Husson University 4-0. Seven minutes into the first period, Kennedy scored the first of two goals, bringing her season total to three scores in the past two games.
Captain Cathleen Smith ’13, scored the last two goals of the game, also bringing her season total to three goals.
In a fashion reminiscent of last year’s team, the Polar Bears posted 32 shots (17 on goal), while limiting Husson to zero shots in the first half and only three in the second, one of which was saved by Kayla Lessard ’13.
Bowdoin will face Wellesley College this Saturday at 1 p.m at home.