Since the start of the season, the men's soccer team has been set on a trip to San Antonio, Texas, the site of the Final Four of the NCAA championship. Two weekends ago, the Polar Bears achieved that goal and another: They have gone farther in the NCAA tournament than any other men's team in Bowdoin history. The Polar Bears are only two wins away from a national championship title.
The Final Four will also be contested by Lynchburg College (19-4-1), Messiah College (21-1-0), and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (20-0-3).
"The other three teams are all quality sides," said sophomore Michael Gale, "but I think that if we continue to do the things we've done all season, we have a very good chance of winning it all."
The Polar Bears (15-1-4) are one of the hottest teams in the nation. Undefeated in their last 16 games with a 14-0-2 record, they earned a first-round bye and defeated Eastern Connecticut State, Amherst and Middlebury en-route to the semifinals.
Lynchburg is the Cinderella story of the NCAAs. Unranked in the final regular season poll, the Hornets knocked out the first and second seeds in their side of the bracket in upset victories to reach their first-ever Final Four.
The two-time defending champions Messiah Falcons are exactly where they were expected to be, after they easily defeated their opponents in the NCAA tournament with 1-0, 2-0 and 3-0 victories. The Final Four is no new gig for the Falcons, as they have reached every semifinal since 2004 and have won seven titles in the past 10 years.
Boasting the only unbeaten record in D-III soccer, the Wisconsin-Oshkosh Titans have outscored their opponents 61-5 this season. This is the Titans' fourth Final Four appearance, but they have never won a title.
Bowdoin booked its trip to Texas in dramatic fashion. Tied with the Middlebury Panthers at one goal apiece with nine seconds left in the first overtime period of the quarterfinal match, the Polar Bears put a free kick into the six-yard box.
Middlebury headed the free kick away directly to senior Danny Chaffetz who headed it back into the clutter of players. Junior Nick Powell then redirected the ball towards the goal, but it rebounded off the right post. First year Zach Danssaert collected the rebound and one-timed a right-footed shot into the back of the net with less than one second left—arguably the most exciting finish to a Bowdoin sports game ever. The buzzer-beater goal gave the Bears the win causing the crowd of fans to rush the field.
"That was the most exciting and fulfilling moment of my soccer career," said Gale. "It was amazing to see all of our hard work pay off, especially in such a thrilling fashion."
"There was chaos, there was disbelief, and then pure satisfaction," added goalkeeper Dan Hicks '11. "It was truly cathartic."
Middlebury struck first in the match, scoring in the 48th minute to grab a 1-0 lead.
The Polar Bears mounted their offensive pressure, as Middlebury closed in on yet another victory against the home team. In the 82nd minute, junior Eddie Jones notched the tying goal with his shot from just outside the 18-yard box, finding the bottom right corner. The score would remain tied for the final eight minutes of regulation.
"Our response to their goal was incredible," said Hicks. "We were desperate, but persistent...The energy, especially from our wide back and midfielders, frightened them."
Neither team had quality chances to score during overtime until Danssaert's goal, marked at 99:59. The win was Bowdoin's first in overtime this season.
"Trust, an overwhelming belief in one another, and having a group that never gives up were the key factors in the game," said coach Fran O'Leary.
The day before, on November 20, Bowdoin hosted Amherst in another exciting game that ended in penalty kicks.
Tim Prior '11 started the game off strong for the Polar Bears, heading home a goal in the 16th minute. In the 60th minute, Bowdoin was awarded a penalty kick thanks to an Amherst handball in the box. Yet the Lord Jeffs' goalie Lennard Kovacs stopped junior Call Nichols' shot to the right side, salvaging the 1-0 deficit.
Amherst tied the game in the 73rd minute with a scrappy goal, sending the game into overtime. After two scoreless overtimes, the game would be decided on penalty kicks.
Both teams scored on their first shots. Gale gave Bowdoin a 2-1 lead as Hicks stopped two Amherst penalty shots and one more hit the crossbar. Despite not playing the entire game, first year walk-on Evan Gershkovich, who had played for the junior varsity team for half of the season, sealed the 3-1 win with a shot tucked inside the left post.
"He's the first walk-on since I've been at Bowdoin and to see him win the game for us was really special," said Chaffetz. "He earned a lot of respect that day, walking up to take such an important shot."
The Polar Bears will take on Lynchburg in the Final Four at 2:30 p.m. after Messiah and Wisconsin-Oshkosh play at noon.
"The key for us is to treat it as our next game," said coach O'Leary. "Win our headers, win our tackles, pass it well, take our chances...if we do these things well, we will stand a good chance of winning a game of soccer."
The two semifinal winners will then meet in the championship at 2 p.m. tomorrow.
"Going to the Final Four is very exciting and not something that happens every year," said senior captain Ben Denton-Schneider. "So we need to enjoy the experience, but at the same time, understand that we are in San Antonio for a reason, and that is to win a national championship."