Women's field hockey fought for a 2-0 win over Trinity in front of a large crowd of parent spectators. The team is now ranked fourth in the nation after its 2-0 win against the Bantams, moving up from its previous ranking of fifth.
The Polar Bears controlled the tempo of the game last Saturday, keeping the majority of the play close to the Trinity goalie.
Cathleen Smith '13 scored the first goal toward the end of the first half, aided by an assist from Ella Curren '12 off a penalty corner.
During the second half, junior Katie Herter scored another goal, which would prove to be the final tally as the clock ran out.
Fans were surprised by three collisions in the final minute of the game, as the Trinity team failed to give up hope even as the clock wound down.
"It wasn't great clock management [by us]," coach Nicky Pearson said. "But defensively we did very well, as they definitely have a talented forward line."
Pearson highlighted senior captain Shannon Malloy, who is a starter on defense.
"Trinity has two very good forwards they were rotating, and Shannon marked them throughout, shutting them down," Pearson said.
In addition to their strong defense, the Polar Bears' offense was also very impressive. There were some exciting breakaways, and "several good passing combinations and transitions."
"I thought we did a good job of creating opportunities [for scoring]," Pearson said. "Our preparation was a little lacking in the circle, but we've been working on that."
The team will face Tufts in Medford today in its last game of the regular season. Tufts and Bowdoin are the top two teams in the NESCAC and the game will determine the No.1 seed of the NESCAC tournament.
"This will definitely be our most challenging game of the season," Pearson said. "They play very well as a team; every player is very sound.
As the regular season draws to a close, the team is buckling down and focusing hard.
"We'll have a light practice Friday and then a walkthrough on Saturday," Pearson said.
After today's game against Tufts, the Polar Bears will find out who they will be playing in the first round of the NESCAC tournament on Saturday.