The women's lacrosse team dropped two games this week and as a result fell to the number six spot in the NESCAC with a record of 3-5. The Polar Bears stayed with Amherst through two overtimes over the weekend, but eventually lost 7-6. On Tuesday in Lewiston, Bowdoin could not penetrate the Bates defense, losing 11-8.
Against the second-place Lord Jeffs, Bowdoin jumped out with a 5-3 lead and kept it going into the second half. Junior Lindsay McNamara netted a hat trick to help put the Polar Bears on top early in the game. However, Amherst rallied late in the game to catch up to Bowdoin and tie the score at 6.
"The Amherst game was a true battle," senior captain Lyndsey Colburn said. "We fought so hard for a full 60 minutes and honestly dominated. Even when they inched back to push the game into overtime, we never let up. We had so many opportunities, but unfortunately, we just couldn't capitalize on them."
While the Polar Bears played well on both defense and offense throughout the game, Amherst was able to score with a few minutes left in the last overtime to secure the win.
"Going into the sudden victory overtime we had three unsuccessful shots on net, but managed to recover the ball each time," Colburn added. "We controlled the game by possessing the ball, but couldn't manage to put the ball in the back of the net. It's extremely frustrating to play an amazing game with such a frustrating outcome."
After the loss to Amherst, Bowdoin traveled to Bates on Tuesday for another important league game. However, the Bobcats defense system put unrelenting pressure on the Polar Bear offense and proved effective in thwarting Bowdoin's scoring chances.
Against Bates, juniors Christina Denitzio and McNamara paced the offensive effort with two goals apiece. Also adding to the scoring were players from each class as senior Ali Draudt, junior Emily Straus, sophomore Ashley Peterson, and first year Katy Dissinger tallied one each. The Bowdoin defense against Bates was led by junior goalie Steph Collins-Finn, who had eight saves during the loss.
This weekend Bowdoin faces a critical match against Williams (2-6 NESCAC), where a win would secure a playoff spot but a loss could put one out of reach. The game starts at Ryan Field at 11 a.m. on Saturday.