The field hockey team had yet another successful season, finishing as national runner-ups with a 19-3 record (9-1 NESCAC). The team played in the NCAA Division III Championship Game for the second year in a row, but fell to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) 2-1.
The Polar Bears had a phenomenal run in the tournament this year, advancing to the Final Four after beating Skidmore College 2-1 in overtime at home in the quarterfinals on a breakaway overtime goal. Bowdoin then faced Salisbury University in the semifinals and won 2-1. This season was the fifth time Bowdoin has played in the Championship Game.
For the twenty-first successive season, a Bowdoin player has been named a National Field Hockey College Association (NFHCA) Division III All-American. Rachel Kennedy ’16 and captain Colleen Finnerty ’15 were both named NFHCA All-Americans.
The overtime win against Skidmore set the Polar Bears on track for a strong tournament run as the team entered the Final Four.
“Skidmore was such an emotional win,” said Head Coach Nicky Pearson. “After that, you realize you are off to the Final Four. It feels like a very special time.”
“Coming off the win at home was amazing. We beat Skidmore in overtime and were riding on an emotional high from that,” added captain Pam Herter ’15. “We were really excited to have made it to the Final Four. One of the biggest goals of the season is always to get to the Final Four and then the national championship. Going into the Final Four, we were really focused and really excited.”
Bowdoin continued their on-field excellence during the semifinal game against Salisbury, who they faced and beat in last year’s national championship game. The team was determined to win and excited to have the chance to face them again.
“Often you go into the semifinals playing a team you are not really familiar with, but there was an aspect of familiarity with Salisbury,” said Pearson. “I think that was comforting for the team and the team could go into the game believing they could beat Salisbury.”
Bowdoin led the game against Salisbury from the beginning. The first goal was lifted in by Kennedy. The second goal was buried into the corner of the goal by Mettler Growney ’17.
“We were all excited to get out there [against Salisbury]. We had possession of the ball for a lot of the game,” said Herter.
“We felt pretty good about the win and played pretty well as a team. There were good transitions and connections all the way back from our goalie to our defense and up to our offense,” she added.
After the crucial semifinal win against Salisbury, the focus became the game against TCNJ. Being the defending champion squad, Bowdoin players had experience competing for the ultimate prize.
“There was a lot of good experience and leadership on the team,” said Herter. “We knew that this was a big deal and that we were at a high national level, but we also did not let it get to our heads too much. We were definitely excited and appreciated the moment,” she added.
Despite the tough loss, Herter took comfort in the fact that the Polar Bears could look back on a season with few flaws.
“We still played our game. We had to recognize what an amazing feat we had accomplished,” she said. “It is hard to be sad when you have accomplished so much and your season has been so great.”
While the team will be without some core members next year, Pearson still has expectations for success.
“We graduate six seniors so that is going to be a significant loss for the program,” she said. “We are still going to have a strong core of returning players who experienced the tournament play this year. The returning players know what it takes day in and day out. My hope is that they will step up and lead the team next year.”