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Volume CXXXII, Number 8 |
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Field Hockey shoots into semis
ALLIE YANIKOSKI
STAFF WRITER
The Bowdoin field hockey team easily defeated Bates 2-0 at home last weekend, securing the number one seed and home field advantage in the ongoing NESCAC tournament.
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| The Bowdoin Field Hockey team has a leg up on the competition in 2002. The team hopes to carry its momentum into the semifinals. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient) |
"Our loss to Colby really fired us up," said senior co-captain Sarah Laverty. "We went after Bates with everything we had. We really stepped it up and played our game."
The Polar Bears dominated the game from the start, and never surrendered their lead. "We really controlled the field and converted on our opportunities," said junior goalkeeper Gillian McDonald.
Attaining her ninth shutout this season, McDonald foiled all three of the Bobcats' attempts to score.
Although the Bates goalkeeper withstood four Bowdoin shots, the Polar Bears managed to put two in the net. Within 15 minutes of one another, Bowdoin forwards Amanda Burrage '04 and Faye Hargate '04 assisted, respectively, senior Leah McClure's and sophomore Marissa O'Neil's goals.
McClure currently holds the sixth-highest goal tally of all Bowdoin field hockey players in the school's history with 28 goals in four seasons. Furthermore, McClure's 11 goals this season ranks her currently as the second-highest scorer in the NESCAC.
After trouncing the Bobcats, Bowdoin gained a bye through the first round of the NESCAC tournament. This Saturday at 11:00 a.m., Bowdoin will face rival Wesleyan at Ryan Field in the semifinal round of the championship.
"We were really excited about being able to host [the semi-finals]," said Laverty. "We always play better at home, and we'll be carrying that same enthusiasm and intensity from last Saturday into next weekend's game."
"We lost to Wesleyan in the beginning of the season, but I believe that that loss made us the team we are today," said McDonald. "It gave us a big wake up call. We will be ready to play them, and we [are] definitely seeking revenge."
Senior co-captain Jackie Templeton echoed McDonald's enthusiasm, saying, "We are so excited to play Wesleyan again, and if anything, the fact that we lost to them in the beginning of the season is focusing and energizing us even more."
"Wesleyan was our first loss, and as a team, we have changed and improved so much since then," Templeton continued. "We know their style of play, and [we] are making adjustments in practice in order to break them down."
Out of the final four teams in the championship, along with Williams and Middlebury, Wesleyan is ranked fourth after beating Colby 2-1 in overtime last Sunday.
"The competition is going to be tough this weekend," said Templeton, "but we are ready for the challenge. The regular season has ended, and every game from here on in could be our last. This is the most important time of the season to get together as a team, and demonstrate our ability when it counts most."