The men's lacrosse team notched two huge wins last weekend and needs only two more for its first-ever NESCAC title.
The second-seeded Polar Bears will travel to host Middlebury and play third-seeded Tufts in the conference semi-final tomorrow. With a win, Bowdoin will advance to the NESCAC finals for the second straight year and face the winner of Middlebury-Wesleyan.
Though they'll face stiff competition, the team firmly believes it can win the title.
"Our focus as of now is on Tufts for Saturday," said senior quad-captain Rob Halliday, "but Sunday is definitely in the back of our heads this whole week, and rightfully so. I know the senior class has been waiting for this—from our semi-finals appearance our freshman year, to last year's defeat to Williams in the NESCAC finals—we all know that this is the year we win the NESCAC."
Coach Tom McCabe said that the three teams left in the tournament are very athletic, so the Polar Bears will have to control possession by winning face-offs, playing solid defense, and taking smart shots.
"We need to eliminate their transition games," said McCabe.
"When we play consistent lacrosse on both ends of the field, we're a tough team to beat," he added.
Bowdoin advanced to the semifinals after two marquee wins last weekend. On Friday, Bowdoin beat Tufts at home to score a first-round home playoff game. On Saturday, the Polar Bears beat Trinity 11-8 to knock the Bantams out of the playoffs.
The Bowdoin defensive unit has played exceptionally well in the playoffs, holding Trinity scoreless for an incredible 34-minute stretch. Sophomore goaltender Jake McCampbell notched 18 saves and won both the game and NESCAC Player of the Week honors.
"Against both Tufts and Trinity our defense really played well, and it all started with the goaltender," McCabe said. "He made a couple of really big saves and kids really fed off of that."
With eight minutes left in the first half, Bowdoin trailed Trinity 5-4. But the Polar Bear defense locked down and shut the Bantams out into the fourth quarter. Senior quad-captains Halliday and Cullen Winkler each scored twice, as did senior Matt Legg, and juniors Adam Tracy and Steve Thomas. Sophomore Ben Chadwick scored the final Bowdoin goal and Ashforth tallied three assists.
On Friday, Bowdoin never trailed and beat Tufts 11-7. Another exceptional third-quarter sealed the win for the Polar Bears, after goals from Ashforth, Winkler and junior Justin Starr put the game out of reach. McCampbell stopped 13 shots and the defensive unit held Tufts to only one goal in seven man-up opportunities in the win.
The NESCAC champion is guaranteed a berth to the NCAA tournament, though there are at-large bids up for grabs, but Bowdoin would have to at least make the championship game to have a shot at a berth. McCabe, however, believes that the team could make its second straight, and second ever, NCAA tournament.
"When we're playing well, and luckily we're playing well at the right time of year, we could win [the NESCAC] very easily," he said.
The team is ready for a rematch against Tufts, Halliday said.
"Some may say that since we beat Tufts last week they'll come out with more intensity this Saturday, so they have the advantage," said Halliday. "The way I see it, though, is that we know we are the better team, as shown last Friday, and what's more, they know it too. The advantage is ours."
The team has had a great week of practice, Ashforth said, and hopes to turn its hard work into wins this weekend.
"If we keep having fun by going hard in practice, we will have no problem staying focused and carrying our momentum in to Saturday," said Ashforth.