At the halfway mark of the season, the men's lacrosse team stands at a disappointing 3-4 mark overall. However, the record is only disappointing because the Bears believe that they can compete with the best teams in the NESCAC.
"Aside from the first years, no one on the team has ever had a losing record at Bowdoin," said senior quad-captain Charlie Legg. "However, we need to realize that in NESCAC play we have only lost to the two finalists from last season, and we can still finish with the same in-conference record as last season."
Despite the slow start, the team feels no need to panic.
"According to laxpower.com, we have the second-hardest strength of schedule in all of Division III. We expected early ups and downs coming into the season," Legg said.
The Polar Bears suffered a setback to their NESCAC dreams on Saturday. Bowdoin lost to visiting ninth-ranked Wesleyan 7-3. After holding Bowdoin scoreless for the final 21 minutes of the contest, the Cardinals improved to 7-1 on the season. Bowdoin moved to 3-4 on the season and 1-2 in league play.
Legg played well in the net for the home side, stopping 14 shots. Legg has been a bright spot defensively for the Polar Bears all season.
"If I have a good day in the cage," said Legg, "it is because of the six guys playing defense in front of me. All season they have done an excellent job forcing other teams to take bad shots, and that makes my job much easier."
The Polar Bears continue their campaign on Saturday at home against Trinity at 1 p.m. The Bantams (5-2) will travel to Brunswick after beating NESCAC foe Amherst, 10-7, at home on Wednesday.
Bowdoin will look to get the season back on track by focusing on fundamentals.
"For us to improve, I think we need to control the flow of the game better," said senior quad-captain Dave Donahue. "This means we have to limit our turnovers on the offensive end, we need to control the middle of the field, and we can't give up transition goals."
The team had been scheduled to play Springfield College at North Andover (Massachusetts) High School on Wednesday, but the game was postponed due to poor weather conditions. The game is now rescheduled for Tuesday.
"Springfield is a team very similar to us: young, talented, and hungry for a win," said Legg. "If we cut back on turnovers, hustle for every ground ball, and shoot effectively, we will win."
Starting this weekend, the Polars Bears look to put the past behind them and grow from the experience, said Donahue.
"I think having a difficult schedule in the beginning of the season is a good thing for the team because it reminds us how well we need to be playing at the end of the season and during the NESCAC tournament," Donahue said.