The field hockey team has built a formidable record this season (12-2 overall, 8-2 NESCAC) from a defense that on average allows less than half a goal per game, and a multi-threat offensive unit that pressures opponents from all angles. 
After beating Trinity on homecoming weekend, the field hockey team finished the season with a disappointing 3-1 loss to Tufts on Wednesday (13-1 overall, 9-1 NESCAC), who took over the NESCAC’s second seed and forced Bowdoin down to third. Bowdoin will still host their quarterfinal game, but will likely play the rest of its playoff games on the road. 
First year Rachel Kennedy particularly stood out in last weekend’s play. Kennedy scored to give the Polar Bears an overtime win against Trinity last weekend (10-3 overall, 6-3 NESCAC), scoring both the opening goal of the match and the game winner. 
Kennedy earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors for her performance on Saturday. 
Head Coach Nicky Pearson describes her standout forward as a fast player with stick skills to complement.  
“She can create scoring opportunities for herself,” said Pearson. “But she is also a good finisher so she finds herself at the right place at the right time to finish off the opportunities the rest of the team has created.” 
Kennedy’s recognition marks the third consecutive week that a Bowdoin player has taken the NESCAC Field Hockey Player of the Week honor, after Katie Riley ’14 earned the title for two consecutive weeks. This gives Bowdoin the most Player of the Week awards of any team this season. 
Despite the recent slew of individual accolades, Pearson reinforced the togetherness necessary for the Polar Bears’ success. 
“We are all excited she [Kennedy] is part of the team, but we really don’t care who scored—if it is a senior or a first year, whether it’s [on] a corner, or [an] open play,” said Pearson. 
Pearson said on Monday that she hoped to continue the Polar Bears’ eight-game win streak by reinforcing the teams’ emphasis on only the immediate practice or game ahead, rather than speculating about the possibilities the postseason presents. 
Despite leading 1-0 at halftime, Bowdoin conceded two goals in the beginning of the second half as Trinity came out with renewed intensity and speed. 
Though the Polar Bears found themselves in a rare deficit, Pearson was especially pleased with how the team collectively responded. 
“Collectively, they knew what they were doing wasn’t enough and they had to play better and they had to work harder,” Pearson said. “They needed to focus on executing the opportunities they had.”
The Polar Bears missed any outstanding individual scoring efforts and their usually stout defense against a formidable Tufts squad on Wednesday. The Jumbos pushed past Bowdoin by scoring the highest number of goals any team has found this season, three. 
Tufts scored within the first 20 minutes of the game, and tacked on another score in the beginning of the second half. Cathleen Smith ’13 answered five minutes later with a goal assisted by Lauren Schroeder ’14, only to have their momentum capped by another Jumbo score only a minute later. 
Unlike Bowdoin’s other loss this season to Middlebury, Tufts was able to keep the high-powered Polar Bear offense from getting close to their own net, holding the team to a season-low three shots-on-goal.   
With their regular season completed, the Polar Bears will take on Williams (6-8 overall, 4-6 NESCAC) in the first round of the playoffs this Saturday at 1 p.m. Bowdoin easily handled Williams on October 7 at home, scoring an uncontested three goals against the Ephs.