Having lost to Williams for the last five years, the men's soccer team was thirsty for revenge. Revenge, according to the Polar Bears, is best served 2-0.
The Polar Bears entered the game third in the NESCAC, ranked No. 22 in the nation while Williams was ranked No. 3. The game was Bowdoin's sixth straight victory.
Each team had only one shot on target during an even first half. It was not until the 64th minute of play that Bowdoin finally scored the first goal of the game. Senior captain Ben Denton-Schneider capitalized on a perfectly placed throw-in by Danny Chaffetz '11 to give the Polar Bears the lead.
Bowdoin struck again three minutes later on a corner kick to the far post that found first year Zach Danssaert for his first collegiate goal. The Polar Bear defense then held strong for the rest of the game to preserve the 2-0 upset.
"I think the win at Williams does a couple things for us," said head coach Fran O'Leary. "It's a valuable win in terms of the NESCAC, down the road for a NCAA bid and gives us a lot of confidence going forward."
"It was definitely the biggest game since I've been here," said senior captain Dan Hicks. "But it's only a step along the way. We want more."
The story of the day, however, was first year goalkeeper Will Wise. Wise was recruited to play lacrosse at Bowdoin and did not expect to play soccer during his college career. Coach O'Leary knew at the beginning of the season, that if starting keeper Hicks ever got injured, the team would be in need of a viable backup.
After picking Wise out of his dorm room based on rumors that he was an all-state goalkeeper in high school, the team found its second-stringer. When Hicks injured his ankle during a drill in practice, Wise was prepared to make his first career start in the net against one of the best teams in the country.
Wise made two stops on the day to post a shutout.
"Will has been playing so well in practice that we weren't really surprised to see him make those key saves during the match," said senior David Shaeffer.
Coach O'Leary was pleased with his backup goalie as well.
"Will did a terrific job. He has a fantastic temperament, similar to Dan," he said. "He's unflappable and cool under pressure."
The win propelled the Polar Bears to No. 14 in the country at 8-1-2, and No. 2 in the NESCAC at 4-1-2.
On Tuesday, the Polar Bears traveled to the University of Southern Maine (4-9-2, 3-2) for a non-conference game. The Polar Bears struck early and often against the weaker Huskies for a 7-0 win.
Danssaert scored twice in the first 12 minutes of play off assists from Eddie Jones '12 and Denton-Schneider. Jones added a goal himself in the 47th minute and Danssaert added a third for a hat trick 20 minutes later. Senior Tim Prior, Michael Gale '13 and Evan Gershkovich '14, each netted a goal in the onslaught.
"I think the USM game showed us that we can close out games on our own terms," said Jones. "In our upcoming NESCAC games I think our team is ready to go after big wins rather than sit back and defend a lead if we get one."
Wise recorded two saves in his second career start as the Polar Bears extended their winning streak to seven.
One Polar Bear in particular garnered even more attention after the extension of the winning streak. Denton-Schneider was named NESCAC Player of the Week for his outstanding play and leadership. He had two timely goals and an assist during the week and leads the team's scoring charts with five goals. He can count two as game winners this the year.
"It always feels nice to have your performance on the field recognized by others," said Denton-Schneider. "But really the best part about being Player of the Week is that it means that my play helped the team to multiple, important victories."
The upcoming weekend proves to be another test for the Polar Bears as they host Trinity (2-4-1, 6-5-1) tomorrow. The Bantams sit in seventh place in the NESCAC.
"Trinity is going to be another tough NESCAC matchup," said Jones. "We played them twice at the end of our season last year and both games were extremely grueling and physical contests."
Colby-Sawyer (6-3-2, 7-7-2) will then take the trip from New Hampshire on Sunday to take on the Polar Bears.