Off to an explosive start, the men's lacrosse team made good use of its spring break.
The Polar Bears garnered a 4-2 (1-1 NESCAC) record, beginning with a hard fought 8-6 win over Connecticut College on March 9 in New London, Conn. The game was locked even until the Camels took the lead late in the game. Trailing in the third quarter by a score of 5-4, the Polar Bears racked up four goals in the final quarter of regulation to chalk up their first 'W' of the season.
After the crucial season-opening victory, the Polar Bears packed up and headed south for their annual trip to Florida.
"It's a good opportunity to get out there and focus only on lacrosse. We really bonded as a team," said senior quad-captain Mike Giordano.
The team posted an overwhelming 27-0 victory over Norwich in its first game down South. Junior attack-man Matt Legg torched the net with a career-high seven goals, only one shy of the program record of eight goals in a single game. The team showed ability in a variety of scoring opportunities, including conversion on four out of five man-up situations.
In their second of three games in Florida, the Polar Bears outplayed the perennial D-III powerhouse St. Lawrence, winning by a score of 17-10.
"Things clicked real well. The game against St. Lawrence was one of our best since we've been at Bowdoin," said senior quad-captain Scott Caras. Seniors Alex Gluck and Gordon Convery split the goaltending duties in the win, flexing their goaltending muscles for five saves apiece.
The final game in Florida for the Bears was a barnburner. With Clarkson leading by one goal in the fourth quarter, junior Harry Ashforth tied the game with 5:53 left to play in regulation at 5-5 with an unassisted goal. Just 1:10 into overtime, Clarkson responded with a goal to end the game with a final score of 6-5. Despite the loss, Giordano and sophomore Adam Tracy proved to be a lethal combination during the game, with Giordano tossing in two goals, with Tracy assisting on both.
Returning to Maine, Bowdoin took on the Middlebury Panthers at home on March 22. Heading into the fourth quarter with a score of 10-6, it seemed that all the Polar Bears needed to do was contain the Panthers for the final quarter.
The task was not as easy as it might have seemed. Middlebury came out on fire in the 4th quarter, scoring four unanswered goals in the final nine minutes to send the game into overtime. When time expired on the first overtime period without a goal from either side, the men were forced into a second OT. Defense was dominant for both teams until, with just two seconds left in the period, Middlebury found the back of the net.
Although this game may have ended up in the 'L' column, the Polar Bears didn't give it up easy. A key component to Bowdoin's strong play was senior midfielder Max Key, who won 22 of 26 face-offs for the Polar Bears.
Tuesday night in blustery Beverly, Mass. was a glorious one for the Polar Bears in their game against Endicott College. Bowdoin jumped to an early 4-1 lead in the first quarter off two pairs of goals from Giordano and Ashforth.
When the fourth quarter arrived, the Bowdoin squad found its lead diminished to a score of 6-5 with 13:36 left in regulation. Tracy solidified the game with an unassisted goal at the 3 minute mark, leaving Bowdoin with their 4-2 overall record.
This weekend, the Polar Bears take on Wesleyan at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Middletown, Conn.
"We're learning more and more every game and looking forward to playing," Giordano said. "We're a focused team and we're going to turn some heads this week."