Bowdoin women’s field hockey rebounded from a 3-1 defeat last week by cruising to a 3-0 victory over Williams in the NESCAC quarterfinals. 
Pass interceptions and more effective off-ball movement during transitions allowed Bowdoin’s defense to shut down Williams’ scoring opportunities and created the offensive chances that the Polar Bears lacked in the Tufts contest. 
In last week’s regular season finale, Tufts outshot Bowdoin 13-4 and capitalized on three corners to secure the victory.
Bowdoin has often used strong corner-strikes to seal victories throughout the season, but against the Jumbos, the Polar Bears found themselves on the defensive end of these crucial player-up situations. 
Tufts twice found the net off deflections from corners, successfully lofting the ball past Bowdoin’s defense on the third corner. 
According to Head Coach Nicky Pearson, it was not just the luck of a player-up corner situation that allowed the Jumbos to score the most goals against the Polar Bears of any team this season. 
“Our marking has been tighter in other games; we allowed them to receive the ball—we didn’t step up and beat them to it,” said Coach Pearson. 
Cathleen Smith ’13 scored the lone goal for Bowdoin against Tufts.
When it came time for tournament play against Williams, Bowdoin managed to prove their team motto of learning from every game. 
“You could tell right from the very beginning that we came out with a lot of energy and determination,” said Pearson. 
Rachel Kennedy ’16 scored immediately for the Polar Bears, and Brooke Phinney ’13 scored late in the first half to cushion the lead.  Kennedy scored her second goal of the match in the second half to guarantee the shutout. 
Despite apparent improvement in the Williams match, Pearson says she is aware that defeating Williams (6-9 overall, 4-6 NESCAC) doesn’t guarantee a victory in the semifinal round, where they will once more face Tufts (14-1 overall, 9-1 NESCAC). 
Though Bowdoin is the lower seed, Pearson says she is eager to face Tufts again. It will be a unique opportunity to test Bowdoin’s ability to quickly apply the lessons learned during the first match. 
Pearson said the Polar Bears won’t have a specific change of strategy the second time around, but rather will renew focus on tight defense and emphasize a strong opening push in the match. Momentum will be key. 
Bowdoin will travel to Middlebury on November 3 for the Tufts rematch in the NESCAC semifinals at 1:30 p.m.