“She never stops running; she never stops working. She is our engine,” says Head Coach Brianne Weaver of her center midfielder, Molly Popolizio ’14.
“She is a tremendous leader on and off of the field,” said Weaver. “When we need something in a game she often is the one that comes through for us, either with a goal or an assist.”
A junior from Rexford, New York, Molly Popolizio is often referred to as “Pop” or “Little Red” by her friends and fans. This season, up until the last game, she led the Polar Bears in goals and total points, scoring five goals and six assists.
This season, Popolizio has helped lead the Polar Bear’s to a fourth-place NESCAC finish and their first NESCAC tournament home game since 2007, a stark comparison to last year’s dissapointing season.  
“We are all pumped to have a home bid,” said Popolizio. “It is the first of my career.”
The Polar Bear’s complete their regular season with an impressive overall record of 10-3-1. Popolizio has been instrumental in the squad’s success, netting two-game winning goals and providing her teammates with four game-winning assists.
On Saturday, Bowdoin bested Trinity 2-1 at home, clinching the final home seed for the NESCAC tournament that starts next weekend. With only 15 minutes left and the score tied 1-1, Popolizio scored the game-winner. 
“Towards the end of the game we were getting a lot of chances and we felt that the goal was coming,” she said. 
Soon enough, the goal came. 
“It was a great goal, Sarah [Wallace ’16] came up the line and fed a good slanted ball across the 18 and Pop made an unbelievable run,” said captain Casey Blossom ’13. 
Blossom spoke highly of Popolizio, praising her effort and consistency throughout the long season.
 “She always seems to find the ball somehow,” she said, “Pop had a key role in a lot of games. She always seems to play a role in our success, she is a very composed and decisive player.”
The Polar Bear’s host Hamilton on Saturday in the first round of the NESCAC tournament. 
“We are looking forward to the opportunity, it is great to have a home game. They are a good team and both sides had chances the first time around. We are hoping that Saturday will be a good test and that we can keep on playing in the tournament,” said Weaver.
Popolizio, who assisted on the goal that topped Hamilton 1-0 during the regular season, is excited for another chance to come up big for the Polar Bears. 
“We are excited to play Hamilton, everyone has learned to play with each other and we have continued our attack-minded play throughout the season.”