The women's lacrosse team secured the second seed in the NESCAC tournament last Friday at Tufts with a 7-6 win over the Jumbos.
With the win, the women earned the right to host Amherst at home the last Sunday in the quarterfinals.
After coming out early with two goals against Tufts, Bowdoin added to its lead when first year Betsy Sachs increased the lead to 3-0 near the end of the first half.
Tufts quickly rallied, however, and brought the score to 3-2 with back-to-back goals. Katie Stewart '12 then scored to put the Polar Bears up by two.
The visiting Polar Bears did a good job defensively against the high-powered Jumbo attack, but Tufts came out of the second half with vigor, and the game was soon tied at five.
Stewart scored again, returning the lead back to the Polar bears, and then first year Olivia King scored soon after to give the women a 7-5 advantage.
Tufts was not beaten yet, though, as it managed to score despite missing a player due to a yellow card. Afterward, the Polar Bears gained possession of the ball and were able to run out the clock for the win.
This heartening victory on Friday meant quick turnover for the women, who returned to Maine only to rest up for Sunday's big game.
On Sunday afternoon, the women secured a rousing victory over Amherst. The Polar Bears' defense held strong, as they defeated the Lord Jeffs 5-3.
The teams swapped goals for the majority of the first half. Amherst scored the first goal just minutes into the game, but Bowdoin quickly responded with a goal from junior McKenna Teague to even the score.
Teague scored again 11 minutes in, but this time it was the Lord Jeffs' turn to respond with a goal, again evening the score to 2-2.
Finally, with five minutes remaining in the half, Elizabeth Clegg '12 scored her 21st goal of the season to give the Polar Bears a 3-2 edge that they would never give up.
Teague scored again in the beginning of the second period, and Stewart also tallied a goal to bring the score to 5-2 with 15 minutes left to play.
The rest of the game was a huge defensive success for the Polar Bears, as they held Amherst scoreless for nearly 30 minutes, ultimately letting the Lord Jeffs score only one goal.
With fewer than 10 minutes remaining, the Polar Bears dominated the possession to seal the victory.
For the first time since 2006, the women will advance to the NESCAC semifinals, facing Colby at Trinity College this coming Saturday. This match promises to be exciting. The last time the Polar Bears faced the rival Mules, they won a narrow 10-9 victory in overtime.