Courtesy of Brian Beard

The women’s lacrosse team (6–7; 2–6 NESCAC) hosted Williams College (6–6; 3–5 NESCAC) on Saturday, walking away with a last-minute 9–8 victory against the Ephs before falling 10-12 to Babson College (11–2) at home on Sunday. The team also commemorated its five graduating seniors with Senior Day celebrations on Saturday, adding extra significance for the Polar Bears.

Attacker Lauren Burke ’25, who scored the final goal of the Williams matchup to secure the Polar Bear win, described how the team strives to approach every opponent.

“We just come out and play our game and don’t really worry about what other teams are doing and how they were ranked before or how many players they had returning that were really strong. So, I think a focus has been just to be as successful as we could at our game and improving that,” Burke said.

Burke noted how maintaining this attitude helped the team push through the game until the very last minute against Williams.

“I think that it was really awesome, just to see the full team, from the defensive end, from our goalies translating up the field, to offense, everyone contributing,” Burke said. “It was just a full 60 minutes of hard work. And I think each and every one of us really earned that win on the field, so that’s what made it most rewarding.”

But the victory was far from easy for the Polar Bears. Possession went back and forth the entirety of the game with no team ever leading by more than two goals. The Ephs opened the game with three quick goals in the first quarter to Bowdoin’s one. However, the Polar Bears fought back in the second period, taking the lead 4–3 after three consecutive goals.

Unlike many other teams in the NESCAC, the Ephs played a man-to-man defense, compared to zone defense, which forced the Polar Bears to adjust their game plan.

“Williams played a different kind of defense … so we really focused on a different kind of offense leading up to the game, and that was obviously a challenge for us, and something that we weren’t used to,” Burke said. “But, our team really adapted well to it, and I think we each understood our individual roles and what the overall objective of our offense was, and I think that’s what really set us apart in that game.”

At halftime, the score sat equal at 4–4, setting the tone for a hard-fought second half. However, the third quarter did not go to Bowdoin, as Williams took the lead 7–6, increasing the pressure on the Polar Bears going into the final minutes of play.

Attacker and midfielder Molly Reed ’27 commented on the team’s mindset prior to the final quarter.

“It was senior night, and we wanted to win for our seniors. I think that was really important. And then also one thing we’ve been working on is having mental fortitude and being mentally strong through tough games, where it’s really close,” Reed said.

With less than two minutes left and the score tied 8–8, a Williams foul gave Burke a crucial free possession shot. Burke slipped the ball past the Ephs’ goalie, securing the win for the Polar Bears.

The win on Senior Day was an added bonus for Burke and her fellow classmates Elinor Applebaum ’25, Sophie Brett ’25, Georgia Gallagher ’25 and Anna Paulmann ’25. Burke highlighted how the team made the day special for the seniors.

“It was definitely surreal. Obviously the past three years I worked hard as an underclassman to make that day special for the seniors. And so you know what it’s like to go and decorate the locker room and get the gift for the seniors and all the effort that goes into it. So, it was surreal that that was being done for me,” Burke said.

On Sunday, the Polar Bears found themselves in another back-and-forth game with Babson, falling short 12–10. Midfielder Grace Harvey ’27 commented on the team’s effort against Babson.

“It was like all our energy that week was going into Williams, and then as soon as we played Williams, and we were done with that, it was like, ‘Okay, we’re going to watch film the next morning on Babson,’” Harvey said. “And Babson played a zone, which I think we struggle with more, and we know what we have to do to beat a zone, but we don’t always do it and connect on offense. But I think our defense, again, was awesome against Babson. They created a ton of turnovers and held [Babson] really well.”

With only two games left in the regular season, Harvey noted how the team hopes to perform.

“I think we can beat Wesleyan [University (9–4; 4–4 NESCAC)]. They’re a very good team, but we know that we have to beat them if we want to make NESCACs. We just need to all decide that we’re going to do it and that losing is not the option and just go in with that mindset,” Harvey said.

The Polar Bears travel to Middletown, Conn., tomorrow to play Wesleyan at 12 p.m.