The men's soccer team opened its 2008 campaign with a strong and balanced performance against the University of Maine-Farmington, winning 2-0.
The Bears piled on the pressure, and it seemed certain they would score early. Hugh Fleming '10 was able to power one away in the 44th minute for the half-time advantage.
The Bears did not relent, and sophomore Greg Frechette was able to slot one home in the second half. The team put together a number of other failed scoring chances, including a rocket by Ben Denton-Schneider '11 that hit the post.
Bowdoin controlled the game's tempo for the full 90 minutes of play, and outshot the Beavers 23-1.
Critics may point out that only two of those 23 shots found the back of the net. But, the problem is probably little more than early season jitters, especially considering that the Polar Bears have employed a brand new, offensively oriented 4-3-3 formation this season under Coach Fran O'Leary.
More aggressive than the 4-4-2 formation used during most of last season, the 4-3-3 is just one more reason to keep an eye on the men's soccer team this year.
Co-captain Harry Ashforth '09 is excited about the new formation.
"From an attacking standpoint, you can really spread the ball around and then take advantage of the wide guys up front," he said.
The Polar Bears have the luxury of trying out the new offensive system because of the rock solid play of returning midfielders Denton-Schneider '11 and Tom Wakefield '10. These two central midfielders "raise the quality of everybody else on the field," Ashforth said.
The one risk of the 4-3-3 formation is that it leaves a lot of open space in the midfield.
Players have less time to recover from their mistakes, and it is essential that players limit turnovers and make strong decisions with the ball to keep possession.
Fortunately, the Polar Bears have the ultimate eraser of mistakes in co-captain Dominic Fitzpatrick '09, a solid central defender. Fitzpatrick and Ashforth will lead a new backline featuring a host of fresh faces, including center-back Sean Bishop '12 and new goalkeeper Dan Hicks '11.
The first real test of the new system will be this Saturday, when the men travel to Connecticut to face NESCAC rival Wesleyan.
Fitzpatrick believes that the Polar Bears have developed a rivalry with the Cardinals since his first year season.
He may be on to something. Since the 2005 season when Wesleyan knocked Bowdoin out of the opening round of the NESCAC playoffs, the two teams are 2-2 against one another in four hard-fought games.
At their last meeting, Bowdoin was victorious, knocking the Cardinals out in the NESCAC quarterfinals.
The Polar Bears will be looking to notch a victory in its first conference matchup in Middletown at 2 p.m.