Courtesy of Brian Beard

Ushered in by late October skies and the national anthem sung by Bowdoin goalkeeper Charlotte Iannone ’26, the women’s soccer team took to Pickard Field in its final match of regular season play against Tufts University (7–4–4; 3–4–3 NESCAC).

The Polar Bears defeated Tufts 3–2, a key win for the team’s ranking ahead of the NESCAC quarterfinals tomorrow.

“We all had the mentality that we wanted to go into that game to have our spot [in the NESCAC] solidified,” captain Greta Farkas ’24 said.

Kyra Hacker ’26 broke through in the 19th minute by knocking the ball in off a Farkas free kick. Morgan Smiley ’24 and Stephanie Christianson ’26 both took a pair of shots shortly after, but were denied by the Tufts goalkeeper.

Tufts’s first attempt on goal came in the 26th minute and was deflected by Iannone, who finished the match with six saves. Hacker crossed in a corner from the left side in the 36th minute, and Smiley quickly connected, finding the back of the net to put the Polar Bears in a 2–0 lead.

“[The team] started off playing really well and moving the ball well, moving up 2–0 in the first half, which is really exciting,” Farkas said.

The Polar Bears were up 2–1 at the half but looking to cement their lead. Bowdoin and Tufts traded possession for the first ten minutes of the second half, with Samaya Bernardo ’24 and Laila Nickelson ’25 making a noticeable impact.

“We [were] all working together really hard to keep [our lead], and then in the second half Tufts really came at us,” Farkas said.

In the 53rd minute, Bowdoin was fouled in the box, and a penalty kick was awarded to Farkas, who promptly sunk the ball in the net to stretch the Polar Bears’ lead to 3–1.

The Jumbos responded with a goal four minutes later, followed by two more saves from Iannone that let them hold onto the lead. Iannone earned NESCAC Player of the Week last week and currently leads the NESCAC in both saves (64) and shutouts (7).

“That last 20 minutes of [the score] being 3­–2 just got very scrappy, and everyone played their hearts out because anything that came near the box, anything that happened, we had to get it out,” Iannone said.

The team was surrounded by eager fans and shouts of “win, win, win!”

The Polar Bears were hungry for a win, which earned them a home playoff game in the quarterfinals. Bowdoin is seeded third heading into the championship and will face sixth-ranked Connecticut College (9–5–1; 4­–5–1 NESCAC) tomorrow on Pickard Field.

“[Conn] was our first NESCAC win,” Iannone said. “They’re definitely on a little redemption arc. For the last five games of the season, [they] won four and tied one, so they really built their way back to even qualify for the tournament. It’s going to be an intense game.”

Farkas emphasized the team’s readiness for its upcoming game.

“We’re really just focusing on ourselves and having an attacking mentality and really trying to convert more goals,” Farkas said. “I think all of us are ready to take [Conn] on.”