When last weekend's field hockey games got close, the crowd looked to one player: Cathleen Smith '13. Smith helped Bowdoin to victories against Middlebury and Williams, as well as to the No. 2 ranking in the country this week.
"As a team we've been improving every single game with our connections across the field," said Smith, who was named NESCAC Player of the Week on Monday. "Our goal is to keep improving in every practice and every game."
On Saturday, the women hosted the Middlebury Panthers, who scored 13 minutes in.
Just 34 seconds into the second half, captain Katie Herter '12 led a breakaway down the field. After a shot on goal, Smith rebounded and fed the ball to Liz Clegg '12, who tipped it in.
Middlebury responded with a goal off a penalty corner, but it was Herter once again who fed an assist to Smith who scored with just four minutes left, tying the game.
Captain Ella Curren '12 fired a hard shot off a penalty corner just under 10 minutes into overtime to finish the comeback and give Bowdoin a 3-2 win.
The women continued to dominate the next day, with three early goals in the first half against Williams.
The first was Smith's fifth goal of the season. Herter scored her third goal 12 minutes later and McKenna Teague '12 topped off the win with her first goal of the year.
Williams broke through Bowdoin's defense to score with just 1:13 left—the Ephs first goal against Bowdoin since 2007—but the Polar Bears won, 3-1.
The team will take on Connecticut College tomorrow.
-Compiled by Maeve O'Leary.