With a late 1-0 victory over No. 16 Trinity last Saturday, the undefeated field hockey team (14-0) clinched its first NESCAC tournament No. 1 seed since 2007. The team outscored its opponents 48-9 over the course of the season.
The winning goal was scored by captain Ella Curren '12 late in the second half, and earned her NESCAC Player of the Week honors.
On Wednesday, the team wrapped up its fourth undefeated season in school history with a 2-1 win over No. 13 Tufts. Cathleen Smith '13 and Curren scored for Bowdoin, while goalkeeper Hannah Gartner '15 recorded seven saves in her first career start.
Ranked the No. 2 team in D-III play, and the victor in close matches against teams like No. 10 Amherst and No. 8 Middlebury, this year's Bowdoin team is statistically comparable to the NCAA Championship-winning squads of recent seasons.
"Our success so far is the result of 22 very dedicated and hardworking players on the team," wrote Head Coach Nicky Pearson in an email to the Orient.
Bowdoin was most recently ranked No. 2 in D-III field hockey, but next week's top ranking looks likely. No. 1 Salisbury lost for the first time this season on Tuesday to No. 12 Catholic, leaving Bowdoin as the only undefeated D-III team.
Yet the championship is anything but won. With the regular season over, even a first-ranked team has a five-game schedule to reach the final, with tough matches along the way.
In recent years, the start of the postseason has been when the team has done its best. It has won the NCAA title in three of the past four years, and the NESCAC title in five of the past six.
The Polar Bears' first postseason test will be against Hamilton tomorrow in the NESCAC Quarterfinals.
-Compiled by Ron Cervantes.