Courtsey of Brian Beard

Last Friday, Bowdoin women’s soccer center forward Rylie McLaren ’26 came up clutch, scoring a goal in the final 36 seconds of play against Babson College. McLaren’s last-minute goal resulted in a 1–1 tie for the Polar Bears (1–2–3; 0–2–0 NESCAC), escaping a loss to Babson’s Beavers (2–3–2).

McLaren described the game as a tough mental challenge for the whole team. The team went into the game knowing it wasn’t going to be easy. But the players expected to score at least one goal—a goal McLaren delivered in the pivotal last minute.

“It was definitely exciting,” McLaren said. “It was a little disheartening to be down and just felt really good to put it away, especially with such little time left.”

Prior to her goal, the Polar Bears had been down by one for nearly 20 minutes following a second-half goal by a Babson player. Despite this, McLaren was not surprised her team was able to pull through.

“I think we were ready to do what we had to to get it done,” McLaren said.

McLaren has been playing soccer for 15 years, beginning back in elementary school in a pee-wee league. She started at a recreational level, then eventually moved on to the club level. When she decided she wanted to pursue collegiate soccer, she says the team community at the College drew her to play for the Polar Bears.

“I really loved the team when I met them. They were such a great group of people,” McLaren said.

And though some of her original teammates have graduated, the team’s culture has held strong over the years. According to McLaren, all the new players on the team bring the same welcoming, kind energy she initially found attractive about the group.

McLaren also believes that the supportive dynamic helps improve team skills.

“I think everyone is pushing each other to be better, but it’s also a really positive environment where you don’t have to be afraid of failure or getting beat down for it. Your teammates are just going to pick you back up and keep going,” McLaren said.

The collaborative and high-spirited environment also influences how the team practices. So far, each practice this season has looked a little different, with a focus on teamwork, McLaren noted.

“We try to take what we learn in our games and then try to fix mistakes or build on things we do well at every practice,” McLaren said.  “So, we spend some of our time doing specific work on what we need to improve on, and then other parts just playing and getting to know each other’s styles a little bit better.”

McLaren stressed the adaptive nature of the team, something that will be of utmost importance going into the next few matchups.

“We’re going to be playing some pretty tough opponents in the next few weeks,” McLaren said.

Looking forward, the Polar Bears will play Hamilton College (3–2–2; 0–2–2 NESCAC) at home on Saturday, their third conference game of the season.

However, McLaren won’t be playing. Last Saturday, the day after facing off against Babson, she sprained her ankle, leaving her on crutches and unable to play for at least a couple of weeks.

Despite this injury, McLaren is looking forward to the rest of the season and still sees a role for herself on the team. While she was excited to build off the momentum from the Babson game, she is now looking forward to supporting her teammates on the sidelines.

“I’ll be at the practices and games and just cheer my team on. And I guess it might be helpful to have eyes off of the field too, to offer feedback,” McLaren said. “Since I can see things a little bit differently, maybe I’ll just take on a role of suggesting things that I see we can improve on.”

McLaren’s injury hasn’t shaken her trust in her teammates either. Coming off of the tied home matchup against Babson, she said the team’s goal is to win all of their home games for the rest of the season and make it to the NCAA tournament.

“Obviously, that’s setting the goals high, but I think we can do it. We have a great team,” McLaren said. “And then, big goals—just get to the tournament and win the tournament at the end.”