After finishing in the middle of the pack last season, the women's soccer team starts another bid for its first NESCAC title against Amherst this weekend. Amherst, the second place team last year, should provide a tough test for the Polar Bears in their opening weekend.
After their game on the road against Amherst, the Polar Bears will return home for a five-game home stand. The stand will be highlighted by the game on October 17 against Williams, who perennially finishes at the top of the NESCAC leader board. In fact, the squad will have a favorable schedule this year, playing nine games at home and only five away.
One of the challenges that the Bowdoin team will have to overcome if it wants to compete for first place is its relative youth. The team welcomed eight first years this year and only has two returning seniors. Dana Riker '10 and Larkin Brown '10 are the only remaining members of a depleted senior class. The two will lead this year's squad alongside injured junior captain Christina Aceto '11.
Injuries have plagued the team in the offseason, and Aceto, who had surgery over the summer to repair an injured hip, will most likely miss the entire season, with an outside chance of returning for the playoffs.
Multiple other players on the team are still recovering from knee surgery. Nevertheless, with the majority of last year's scorers returning for the coming season, the team looks poised for another strong year.
In the team's last chance to tune up before for their opening match, Bowdoin played two scrimmages this past weekend against NESCAC opponents Bates and Tufts. The team played strongly against Bates, and though the final score was only 1-0, the Polar Bears had an overwhelming advantage in shots on goal.
In the second game of the day, the team fell to Tufts by a slim margin of 1-0. Although the results of the preseason are relatively meaningless, the younger members of Bowdoin's squad gained some much-needed experience at the collegiate level.
"We want to be known as a physically tough team to compete against," Aceto says. "But the biggest thing for us will be showing confidence on the field and communicating as a team."
With the team's lack of returning players, a number of starting spots remain open for the Polar Bears. Another notable turnover for the squad is at the goalie position. Junior Kat Flaherty will start in goal this season. Junior Molly Duffy, who has played forward for the team in years past will also make the transition to defense.
Regardless of who plays, Aceto maintained that, "tomorrow's game will be important in setting the tone for the season. We need to show that even without our experience, we know how to compete and will compete each and every game."