The Bowdoin College Field Hockey Team (8-1 NESCAC) fought fierce wind and rain in addition to Wesleyan (3-6 NESCAC) during its last regular season game.
The Polar Bears overcame the elements and the Cardinals in a 3-0 on-the-road win on Saturday to secure the top seed in the NESCAC tournament.
"We knew Wesleyan was the most important game of the season because we needed to win to secure first place for the playoffs," said first-year Shavonne Lord. "We also knew that the weather was going to be an obstacle, but we mentally prepared for it. When we got onto the field, we used it to our advantage and did not allow it to be a factor in the game."
Just as Lord said, Bowdoin put the weather aside and managed to come out on top. Julia King '09 scored on a penalty corner when she fired a shot past the Wesleyan goalkeeper. In classic fashion, senior co-captain Burgess LePage added another goal before the half, as did Lindsay McNamara '09. McNamara's goal came on a tip after a goal by Meg McGuire '08 was called back due to a foul against Bowdoin. In the win, senior goalkeeper Kate Leonard made three key saves even though Bowdoin outshot Weslyan 18-6.
The win put Bowdoin ahead of Middlebury, giving the Bears a first-round bye. As top seed, Bowdoin will hold the league semifinals and finals on Saturday and Sunday. The Polar Bears will look to beat sixth-seeded Amherst (8-7), which upset Williams in the first round. Bowdoin beat Amherst earlier this season 3-2 in overtime.
"The key this weekend is to come out hard and play 70 minutes to our full potential," said Val Young '08. "We have come a long way since our first game against Amherst, and we will continue preparing for the game in practice this week."
Bowdoin will face off against Amherst at 11 a.m. on Saturday, followed by a semifinal match between Middlebury and Tufts. The final will be held on Ryan Field at noon on Sunday.