The men’s soccer team ended its season this past Saturday in a NESCAC quarterfinal loss to Tufts.
The Jumbos posed a threat early in the game with a trio of goal opportunities, but a save by Will Wise ’14 put a stop to their attack.  The Polar Bears found their best opportunity of the half near the 30th minute, when a counter initiated by junior captain Ben Brewster ’14 led to an opportunity downfield for Zach Danssaert ’14. Nonetheless, Tufts scored the first goal 10 minutes later. In the next half, Tufts made their second goal in the 60th minute and then put it away with a third goal towards the end of the game.
“I think that Saturday just wasn’t our day.  That’s the nature of soccer, sometimes the game just doesn’t go your way and there isn’t a solid explanation,” said senior captain Michael Gale. “We gave a really strong effort, but they happened to get the first goal, which can mean everything in a playoff game.”
“Soccer is a funny game,” said Head Coach Fran O’Leary. “We gave a much better effort in our second game against Tufts, yet the score line was not reflective of our performance.”
Although the season is over for the Polar Bears, they have many accomplishments from the season to be proud of and a bright outlook for next year. 
“I think that the team will be a contender for the NESCAC championship next year because we learned this year the level of commitment and effort it requires,” said Gale. 
“This season has left us with a strong platform upon which to build,” said O’Leary.  “The seniors provided us with great leadership and camaraderie. We will regroup and enter the off-season optimistic about the future prospects for the Bowdoin soccer program.”