"The Few and the Brave."
That title might be appropriate to recognize the efforts of all four seniors on the Bowdoin Men's Soccer Team. The combination of Anthony Regis, John Hollis, Simon Parsons, and Kevin Mullins may only comprise of 17 percent of the roster, but contributed to 100 percent of the goals over Homecoming Weekend.
Parsons opened up the '07 account by providing the NESCAC's second-highest scorer, Nick Figueiredo '08, with an excellent service to put the Polar Bears on the board on the 20th minute against a Trinity team that made them work. Later, the seniors heated up their barrage when Mullins and Regis assisted on a scorching Hollis goal on the 60th minute to help Bowdoin secure a 2-0 shutout win against the Bantams.
Bowdoin completed the weekend doubleheader with its grittiest performance of the year in a 1-1 double overtime draw with Babson. The Polar Bears went down midway through the first half but "The Few and the Brave" took the team on their shoulders. Four minutes into the second half, Mullins lobbed a magnificent cross that landed squarely on Regis's head and into the back of the net. The brilliant sequence by the classmates fuelled the rest of the team throughout the rest of regulation as they dominated, albeit without any offensive success.
The play in overtime was a different story, however, as Nate Lovitz '08 was forced to make three crucial saves in the closing minutes to secure the tie.
The two determined performances ensured home field advantage for the Polar Bears in the NESCAC tournament. This may end up being vital as every team in the conference, one through seven, has the ability to shine on any given day.
"I feel like we got what we wanted out of the doubleheader, and that was guaranteeing a home field game first round of NESCACs, and keeping an NCAA at-large bid alive," Figueiredo said.
The team will have to feed off the maturity and intensity of its seniors in its two enormous conference battles this weekend. Otherwise the season will come to a premature close.
The weekend starts with a showdown against Wesleyan, a rematch of last year's first-round NESCAC playoff game in which Bowdoin was upset 4-1 at home. This defeat still lingers in the minds' of veterans and they are hungry to exact revenge.
The following day will showcase the first day of playoff action but this does not mean the guys are any less focused on the streaking Wesleyan side: a team that put together a string of 12 unbeaten games before falling to Williams, the No. 1 team in the conference, in overtime last weekend.
"We're going into the game to win, not rest guys or play for a tie," said Figueiredo.
Either way the men will be playing at home on Sunday, so now it is simply a matter of "closing it out," as Figueiredo put it.