The women’s soccer team entered Homecoming Weekend on a tear, having won four straight games after losing 2-1 to Middlebury on September 21. Three of the wins came against out-of-conference opponents, including University of New England (UNE), University of Southern Maine (USM), and Brandeis. The team beat Brandeis—ranked 17th nationally—and the other two teams with a combined score of 14-0. Then, on October 5th, the team traveled to previously-undefeated Trinity and netted a 3-0 win that brought Bowdoin to a No. 20 national ranking.
This past weekend, the team competed against Hamilton on Saturday and Williams on Sunday. Hamilton entered the clash 3-2-2 (1-2-2 in the NESCAC) against the 7-1-1 (3-1-1 in the NESCAC) Bowdoin team. However, the Continentals threatened frequently during the opening half, drawing six first-half saves out of net-minder Bridget McCarthy ’16. But none of Hamilton’s nine, nor Bowdoin’s three shots found the back of the net, so at halftime the score remained a scoreless tie.
At halftime, the Polar Bears looked to transition into an attacking mentality. Captain Molly Popilizio ’14 said that the team “talked about trying to defend less, and having more confidence getting forward. We adjusted and began to attack more in the second half and that is how we were able to find success.”
Despite the pep talk, the team’s success was not immediate. Hamilton’s Hannah Withiam broke down the right sideline on a Continental counter, and sent a low cross in toward teammate Kendall Daly. Daly curled her shot past a charging McCarthy and into the far corner to give Hamilton a 1-0 lead.
The lead lasted until the 69th minute, when junior midfielder Abby Einwag received a pass in space to the left of the Hamilton 18-yard box. Her one-touch cross floated toward the middle of Continental keeper Liza Gergenti. As Gergenti went up to catch the ball, first year Abby Hammerl darted in unmarked to head home the equalizer.
Almost 10 minutes later, Bowdoin took the lead. Junior midfielder Amanda Kinneston led a counter-attack into the Hamilton box, racing past two defenders before slipping the ball to forward Kiersten Turner ’16, who hammered home a left-footed finish for her eighth goal in ten games.
Kinneston finished off the scoring herself not long after in the 81st minute. This time Turner turned provider, sending an early crossed into the box. Kinneston won the ball from a Continental defender before finding the back of the net to secure a Bowdoin victory.
Bowdoin’s Sunday game, against the 6-1-2 (3-1-1 in NESCAC) Ephs, proved much tougher for the team. Coming into the game on a four-game winning streak, Williams had not given up a goal since losing 2-0 at Trinity on September 14. In the six games since, the Williams team had scored 10 goals and given up none, a streak that matched Bowdoin’s. The contest was a heavily-anticipated rematch of last year’s NESCAC final, when Williams narrowly defeated the Polar Bears on penalties.
The Bowdoin women couldn’t keep this year’s game that close. Williams took the lead with not even four minutes gone, as Eph Alison Magruder’s volleyed cross was slotted home at the far post by teammate Crystal Lewin, shocking the Polar Bears and their supporters. Around the 25-minute mark, Magruder got on the score-sheet herself, finishing off a cross from Eph Kristi Kirshe.
After the second away goal, the Bowdoin women began pushing back, forcing two saves from the Williams keeper before halftime. Jamie Hofstetter ’16 had a chance come off the crossbar, but Bowdoin still couldn’t find the back of the net.
The second half was a battle, as both teams fought hard and refused to back down. Though the Bears held a slight edge in the shot count (7-5), Williams finally made a breakthrough 17 minutes from the end of the game, as Kirshe turned home another Williams cross to finish off the Polar Bears.
“We found ourselves changing our style to the other team early on, and once we adjusted back it was too late in the game,” said Popolizio.
With three NESCAC games remaining, the Polar Bears rank fifth, one point behind third-place Amherst and five behind top-ranked Middlebury, who defeated the girls earlier in the year. Bowdoin will next face Connecticut College and Colby, who hold a combined record of 2-8-3 in conference.