With former Bowdoin field hockey coach Sally LaPointe in attendance at Colby College, current head field hockey coach Nicky Pearson surpassed LaPointe in all time coaching victories when Bowdoin beat Colby on Saturday. Pearson now has 131 career wins, and Bowdoin has its 17th straight regular season win.
Still, the victory did not come easily to the Bears, who out shot Colby 34-7 on their way to a 2-0 triumph.
"Although Colby has some very fast and skilled players, we held a positive mental edge over them which enabled us to have better control over possession and out-shoot them. It came down to who wanted it more," said senior defender Gail Winning.
At the helm of the Bears' strong effort was senior captain Burgess LePage, who scored both goals off of assists from two sophomore teammates. Her first goal came from a penalty corner and a pass from midfielder Kate Gormley '09 early in the first half.
"One of the best opportunities to score in field hockey is off of a penalty corner. Our team has experienced difficulties in the past with capitalizing on these chances, but we came up big this weekend with a goal off of an extremely well executed corner. It's encouraging to know that we are improving on the more detailed aspects of our game," said LePage.
After taking the lead, Bowdoin denied Colby's offense and eventually LePage was able to tally another goal off of a feed from forward Lindsay McNamara '09 late in the second half. In the final minutes of the game, Bowdoin goalkeeper Kate Leonard and the Polar Bear defense stopped a final rush from Colby to ice Leonard's second shutout of the season.
Junior defender Val Young reflected on the Bears' first league test.
"We came out strong against Colby," she said. "The first NESCAC game is always a little nerve-racking because the stakes are so much higher, and the competition tougher, but to beat Colby at Colby is a great accomplishment. It shows we have the determination and skill to rise to the occasion and get the job done."
Bowdoin, 4-0, will have to rise to the occasion again this Saturday when the Bears travel to Williams in a rematch of last year's NESCAC final where they beat the Ephs in penalty strokes.