Courtesy of Brian Beard

Lauren O’Donald ’26 stood alone in goal two Saturdays ago as she faced down the final Middlebury shooter with eight seconds on the clock. The field hockey team (9–3; 5–2 NESCAC) had already battled through 60 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime against the Middlebury College Panthers (9–3; 5–2 NESCAC), the defending Division III national champions. The game, and the fate of the Polar Bears’ decade-long losing streak against Middlebury, came down to O’Donald. In the final shootout, O’Donald swatted the ball away with her glove for her ninth save of the game, bringing the team’s losing streak to an end.

O’Donald grew up in a small town outside Springfield, Mass., where she first picked up a field hockey stick in fourth grade.

“My mom played throughout high school, and as a little kid, I wanted to be like my mom,” O’Donald said.

Initially a forward in a recreational field hockey league, O’Donald switched positions to goalie in eighth grade when she started playing on a club team. Once she joined the club circuit, O’Donald found herself in the company of athletes who dreamed of playing in college.

“Being surrounded by people who were driven to play field hockey in college motivated me to do the same,” O’Donald said.

Because she was interested in a NESCAC school with a strong combination of athletics and academics, O’Donald was drawn to Bowdoin.

“I remember talking to coaches, going to different showcases, and I really loved [Head Coach] Nicky [Pearson], and it seemed like Bowdoin was a really good fit,” O’Donald said.

In her time at Bowdoin, O’Donald considers her coach to be her greatest mentor.

“[Pearson] is not just interested in you as a player and your development as a player, but she’s really motivated to help her team develop as people and also as students,” O’Donald said. “She’s a fantastic coach, and I’m very grateful that I get to play for her.”

O’Donald approaches her sport with composure, focus and a deep appreciation for her team. Those qualities were on display last Saturday against Middlebury, when O’Donald anchored the Polar Bears through one of the most demanding games of her career.

Courtesy of Brian Beard

Both teams scored in the third quarter, tying the game, but Middlebury continued to earn penalty corners, heightening the intensity for the Polar Bears. When it comes to penalty corners, O’Donald has a superstitious routine with her teammates.

“I give the right trail a stick tap or a high five. I give the post player one as well, and then I get a high five from the left trail,” O’Donald said. “Then I step into the net.”

Coming out of overtime, the score remained tied at 1–1. In the deciding shootout, O’Donald let the first shot in but recovered quickly, making a series of saves.

“I think the thing with shootouts is [that] if you let one in, you have to forget immediately because you have more coming at you,” O’Donald said.

Entering the fifth round of the shootout, the stakes were high when O’Donald faced down the final shooter. Keeping her cool under pressure, O’Donald made the game-winning save and secured the Polar Bears their first win against Middlebury since 2015.

“I think this is a really great team win. There were great efforts all over the field. I think that knowing that we can beat a team of that caliber is just awesome for our program,” O’Donald said.

Since its victory against Middlebury, the team has also beaten Husson University (4–6) and Trinity College (3–9; 1–6 NESCAC) but dropped a close 1–0 battle against Babson College (13–1). O’Donald and the Polar Bears will hope to return to the win column tomorrow when they play at Wesleyan University (8–3; 4–3 NESCAC).

O’Donald’s personal goal for the rest of the season is simple.

“I would like to keep the ball out of the net,” she said.