Spring is back, and so is women's lacrosse. Like the recent Maine weather, the beginning of the lacrosse season has been an up-and-down ride for the Polar Bears, who came into this week's game against Wheaton College with a record of 3-3. Over Spring Break, the team was victorious against Drew, Ohio Wesleyan, and Endicott and suffered one-goal losses to Wesleyan, Trinity, and most recently, Amherst.
"It's frustrating because, with a couple more goals, we could easily be undefeated right now," said first year Chelsea Albright.
Head Coach Elizabeth Grote said, "There are a lot of games left so, even with a couple tough losses, we still have a lot to look forward to. We're a young team so I think games like [the losses to Wesleyan, Trinity, and Amherst] will serve us well as learning experiences to take with us in the future."
It certainly seemed like Coach Grote was right on Wednesday night.
The women's lacrosse team was back with a vengeance as they cruised past previously undefeated Wheaton under the bright lights of Howard F. Ryan Field.
The Polar Bears got on the board first with an early goal by Ingrid Oelschlager '11 and never looked back.
After a brief tie, Bowdoin took control with a three-goal surge sparked by Christina Denitzio '09 to give them a 5-2 advantage going into halftime.
A second-half onslaught of seven unanswered goals led by first year McKenna Teague (game-high four goals) sealed the final result, as the team coasted to an impressive 14-3 victory.
Oelschlager finished the game with three goals, while Lindsey McNamara '09 and Katy Dissinger '11 both added two goals and an assist.
"We played a complete game. We scored a lot of goals and we played good defense," said Coach Grote.
The victory improved the Polar Bears' record to 4-3 on the season as they look to continue their success against Connecticut College on Saturday.
"It's a big game for us," said Coach Grote. "Getting that first NESCAC victory is important."