Men's lacrosse defeated Endicott 8-4 last Sunday and lost to Tufts 15-7 on Wednesday, bringing the team's overall record to 11-4. This is the first time since 2008 that the Polar Bears have won 11 games, and concludes a 5-0 out-of-conference record.
Three goals by Keegan Mehlhorn '12 and 16 saves by goalkeeper Chris Williamson '12 were not enough against Tufts, as the Jumbos outshot the Polar Bears 50-29 and turned over the ball 10 fewer times than Bowdoin. Though Bowdoin held Tufts to just four goals after halftime, the Polar Bears were done in by allowing seven goals in the second quarter.
At Endicott, attacker Nate Fritts '12 was a key offensive player, scoring three goals and assisting on another.
"Nate had the first hat trick of his career," said captain Matt Egan '12. "That was really big for us and helped us to get the win."
Patrick Lawlor '13, Billy Bergner '13, Mark Flibotte '12, and Keegan Mehlhorn '12 also scored during the game.
"It's great to have Keegan Mehlhorn back on the field," said Head Coach Tom McCabe. "He was out for a couple of weeks because of an injury."
Brendan Hughes '12 and Brian Durkin '13 also proved integral to the win. Together, Hughes and Durkin won an impressive 13 out of 15 faceoffs, giving the Polar Bears a big advantage in ball possession.
The Polar Bears also continued to play very strong defensively.
"Our short stick defenders, Lawton Salley '12 and Greg Pierce '12, continue to play well," said McCabe.
Williamson was also an important factor in the win, making 11 saves during the game. After also saving 20 shots last Tuesday, he was named NESCAC Player of the Week. He currently ranks second in the league with a 7.73 goals against average, .617 save percentage, and is first with 12.27 saves per game.
"Our goalie is playing the best I've ever seen him play," said Egan. "He's probably the best goalie in the NESCAC right now."
Tomorrow, the Polar Bears will play at home in a play-off game for the NESCAC tournament against Wesleyan.
"At that point, it's just one game at a time—you're only as good as your last game," said McCabe.
-Compiled by Hallie Bates.