Turning out to be a bigger threat than anticipated, the Amherst Lord Jeffs applied the most pressure to the Polar Bear defense of any team all season last Saturday. Despite the offensive onslaught from Amherst, and the Bears' first surrendered goal of the season, Bowdoin prevailed with a 3-1 win at Ryan Field.
Securing the victory over the Jeffs required contributions from Bowdoin's top three scorers, solid defensive play, and acrobatics between the pipes from goalkeepers Emileigh Mercer '09 and Emily Neilson '11.
Ella Curren '12 and Madeleine McQueeney '09 got the offense started for the Polar Bears 16 minutes into the first half. From deep in the Amherst corner, Curren sent a long pass across the circle to McQueeney charging to the back post to redirect a shot behind Jeffs goaltender, Emily Vitale.
Just under two minutes later, Ingrid Oelschlager '11 dazzled the crowd when she dangled the ball around an Amherst defender with a nifty left-to-right move and shot just inside the left post for Bowdoin's second goal of the half.
"I was standing on the end line with a pair of photographers when Ingrid took control of the ball in the offensive zone. After she scored, we all stood and looked at each other?it was the most amazing field hockey goal that any of us have ever seen," said Bowdoin's Sports Information Director Jim Caton.
The last Polar Bear tally came at 27:49. McQueeney '09 put a hard shot on net that resulted in a rebound off of the stick of Lindsay McNamara '09. McNamara quickly gathered the ball and hit it into the back of the cage with a turn-around shot to give Bowdoin the 3-0 lead at the end of the first half.
After giving up a penalty corner opportunity, Bowdoin's seven-game shutout streak of the 2008 season came to an end. Amherst forward Haley Douds positioned herself behind the Polar Bear defense to redirect the hard pass from Carly Dudzik into the back of the net at 42:00. However, this would be the only Amherst goal as the Bowdoin defense remained focused and strong until the end of the game.
With the victory, the Polar Bears move to 4-0 in NESCAC play and 8-0 on the season.
Tensions will be high this Saturday at Ryan Field as the Polar Bears look to defend their top spot in the polls and keep the No.2-ranked Panthers of Middlebury College in second place.
The NESCAC rival Panthers will bring with them a potent attack yielding an average of 5.33 goals per game and a tight defense that limits its opponents to 1.33 goals per game.
"Our main focus for the game is to play the way we know how to play, to stay as one defensive unit, and to leave everything on the field," Oelschlager said. "It doesn't matter what they are planning, what they expect to execute, as long as we play Bowdoin field hockey."