Nicole Feleo
Number of articles: 12First article: September 26, 2014
Latest article: February 20, 2015
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Women’s hockey struggles going into final weekend of season
Bowdoin suffered a 2-0 shutout loss against Hamilton on Saturday after tying the team during a game the night before. Without a win last weekend the team needs at least one win this weekend in its two games at Amherst to have a chance at hosting a NESCAC Championship quarterfinal game next weekend.
Head Coach Marissa O’Neil commended the team’s efforts last weekend despite the disappointing outcome.
“We didn’t feel great about the tie,” said O’Neil. “Going into Saturday’s game, we talked about how we played 65 minutes of strong hockey on Friday. Saturday we came out and did a great job.”
The Polar Bears’ performance last weekend dropped them from fourth to fifth in the NESCAC with a 5-6-3 NESCAC record (9-8-5 overall). The Hamilton Continentals—with their third conference win of the season—moved up one spot from the last place standing, which they’ve held for the past two weeks. The Continentals record now stands at 9-9-4 (3-8-3 NESCAC).
The Polar Bears netted the game’s first goal on Friday night.
About five minutes into the game, Julie Dachille ’18 hit a shot past Hamilton goalie Sam Walther.
Hamilton hit back in the third period when Steph DiPietro slid a puck through the pads of goalie Lan Crofton ’17 after carrying the puck out from behind the net.
Bowdoin had an opportunity to take the lead on a power play, but failed to score. In overtime, Crofton made a heart-stopping save to pressure the tie. Neither team was able to capitalize on its opportunities in overtime.
Crofton made 17 saves overall, while Walther stopped 21.
On Saturday, both teams opened with 20 minutes of strong skating, and despite multiple chances, failed to net any goals.
Despite the initial control the Polar Bears exerted over the Continentals in the second period, Hamilton broke out and raced down the ice in a two-on-one that culminated in Megan Fitzgerald firing the puck into the top right corner of the net.
Teal Gosselin then buried the puck with a deflected shot into the net to give the Continentals a 2-0 advantage.
Crofton made 11 saves in the game, while Beth Findley ’16 made 5 in 13:09 of play. Walther earned a shutout with 25 stops.
Bowdoin’s will travel to Amherst for a game at 7 p.m. tomorrow.
The Polar Bears NESCAC tournament seeding is dependent on the results of this weekend’s other NESCAC matches, but O’Neil hopes the team can walk away with a strong seed for the quarterfinals.
“We can end up as high as third or at least at eight,” said Coach O’Neil. “It’s going to take a great effort. They have a couple forwards who are definitely threatening--being able to shut them down one-on-one defense. Their goalie does pretty well but as we can see with the Trinity score for them [Amherst] this weekend, the puck can get passed her.”
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At Trustee meeting, Obama and the community honor Karen Mills
At last weekend’s meeting of the Board of Trustees, President Barry Mills, President-elect Clayton S. Rose and the Trustees reviewed the College’s finances, discussed and voted on preliminary budget assumptions, and reviewed recommendations for tenured professors. The meeting was followed by a reception in honor of Karen Mills in Lancaster Lounge and a dinner in Main Lounge.
The dinner opened with the reading of letters to Karen Mills from President Barack Obama and former Senator Olympia Snowe. Obama’s letter praised Mills’ work as the Small Business Administrator.
Obama then commented on the wealth of opportunity Bowdoin endows upon its students and closed the letter by saying, “Karen, congratulations on all you have accomplished. I trust your family’s commitment to lifting up the lives of others will continue, and I wish the Board and everyone gathered all the best.”
A video was then screened, which featured many colleagues and friends of Mills. Each person addressed the dynamic roles Mills has had, lauding her contributions to finance in New York City and to growth and entrepreneurship in the state of Maine, for working for the Obama Administration, and for sitting on the Board of Overseers at Harvard.
In particular, however, her involvement with the College and her vital role in the presidency of her husband Barry Mills, was emphasized.
Among those who spoke in the video was Barry Mills himself. He spoke to her role as a mother and wife, commending her focus on whatever tasks she took on while still being a present member of their family.
After the video, food was served and speakers followed. Former members of the Small Business Administration of Maine spoke, as well as Chair of the Bowdoin Board of Trustees Debbie Barker, Senator Angus King and his wife Mary Herman, Mills' son George Mills, and Paul Franco—professor of government and close friend to the Mills’.
As a wry homage to Mills and the famous etiquette dinners she hosts every year for seniors, the decorating committee placed the cutlery on the incorrect sides of the place settings.
Many faculty and staff noted that her charisma—from her personal relationships with Dining Services staff to golf outings with Bowdoin coaches—made her a role model for future first ladies of the College.
At the meeting, the Trustees reviewed the preliminary budget for the fiscal year ending in 2016. The official budget will not be submitted for a vote until May.
The Trustees also approved renovations to Ashby House, which formerly housed the Department of Religion. The renovations will shore up the foundation of Ashby House and update the electrical and plumbing systems.
Editor's note: A previous version of this article stated that the Board of Trustees voted on a preliminary budget for the fiscal year ending in 2016 at their meeting. There was no vote, but the Trustees did review a preliminary budget. The article has been updated to correct the error.
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Women’s hockey loses back to back to Midd
The women’s ice hockey team fell to No. 4 Middlebury College (11-1-3 overall, 6-0-2 NESCAC) twice last weekend at Watson Arena, bringing their record down to 8-5-3 (4-3-1 NESCAC).
“There are only a few things we didn’t do well,” said Head Coach Marissa O’Neil. “Being able to execute in front of the net was probably our greatest challenge this weekend—certainly not for lack of trying—but just being able to capitalize on the opportunities. Some of that’s better habits, some of that’s breaks and getting past the goalie, whether it’s pretty or ugly.”
Last Friday, the Panthers took the early lead with a goal just over five minutes into the first period. Middlebury’s Victoria Laven shot through traffic just inside of the left post. The Panthers continued to dominate the opening period, outshooting Bowdoin 13-2.
Fifty six seconds into the second period, Middlebury forward Janka Hlinka took a feed from Jessica Young and scored, giving the Panthers a two-goal lead.
“I think we were a little hesitant during the first period,” said Maddie Baird ’15. “But we settled down after that. We were moving our feet well, moving the puck well. We were winning battles in the corners and winning battles all over the ice. The only issue was we just couldn’t put the puck in the net. We were around the net a lot, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”
Rachel Kennedy ’16 broke through at 2:45, deflecting a shot from Miranda Bell ’18 into the net and through the knee pads of Panther goalie Annabelle Jones.
The two teams traded goals in the third, both of which were put in off of rebounds. For the Panthers, Maddie Winslow failed to put away an initial attempt, but Young netted the next shot. Chelsea MacNeil ’15 shot, but was denied her initial bid. Kennedy made her second shot of the night after killing off a 6-on-4 Bowdoin power play. The netter went through traffic before getting past Jones, putting the score at 3-2.
Middlebury sealed off the win with an unassisted goal from Emily Fluke.
“I was really proud of the way we played and unfortunately we weren’t able to get the wins,” said O’Neil. “But obviously Middlebury is a great opponent—has been for years.”
Goalie Lan Crofton ’17 suffered a sprained ankle mid-game and Beth Findley ’16 took over for the night and in the subsequent game against Middlebury.
In the second contest of the weekend the Polar Bears faced off against the Panthers with high hopes once again, holding their own until the last few minutes of the first period. Middlebury broke the stalemate at the end of the first with two goals off of rebounds from Katie Sullivan and Elizabeth Wulf.
Young cleaned up another rebound in the beginning of the third. Fluke extended the Panther’s lead to 4-0 shortly after. Bowdoin finally spoiled Middlebury’s power play with a vengeful response as Baird put up the first point for the Polar Bears.
Winslow shot a diving puck back into the net in the third. With 1:23 left in the game, the Polar Bears’ MacNeil collected and netted the puck.
“Overall we’ve had a little bit of trouble getting into the dirty spots and getting the rebounds,” said Crofton. “They don’t have to be the prettiest goals but we’ve been working on that the whole year.”
The Panthers bested Bowdoin again that night with a final score of 5-3.
The Polar Bears now go into a two-game NESCAC series against Williams which begins at 7 p.m. today.
“Williams is a team that is a lot better than their record shows,” said O’Neil. “In terms of us not being able to put pucks in the net—though we did score goals over the weekend—they don’t have one set goalie they rely on, there are a couple. We use our defense [in practice] to mimic what they are doing and look for more creative ways to score.”
Bowdoin faced the Ephs last year in the NESCAC Championship, losing the contest 4-1. This loss is fresh in the minds of the returning players. William’s Head Coach, Meghan Gillis ’07, is a Bowdoin graduate and former teammate of Bowdoin’s O’Neil ’05. Both alumna won NESCAC rookie of the year in 2004 and 2001 respectively.
“They’re pretty gritty by the net”, said O’Neil. “So we’re making sure we clear bodies out of the way and that our goalies make the first save and don’t give them the second and third chances.”
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Women’s basketball rebounds back into winning form
Women’s basketball defeated Bates 65-48 on November 22 but came out flat against the University of New England (UNE) three days later. However, the Polar Bears came back with a lopsided victory against Salve Regina University and the University of Southern Maine (USM) the following week. Bowdoin’s overall record this season stands at 5-2.
“After that loss [against UNE] we’ve been working a lot on defense and just making sure we’re getting out to shooters and that we’re really communicating,” said Sydney Hancock ’17. “It shows in our last couple of games.”
The Polar Bears entered halftime with a 31-25 lead against Bates, but the Bobcats closed the gap early in the second half. Rallying for the win, the Polar Bears kicked their offensive play into gear with a decisive run that extended the lead to 57-34 with six minutes left.
Captain Megan Phelps ’15 exploded for eight points in the last few minutes. Overall, Phelps had 15 points in the contest.
Bowdoin held Bates to 26.6 percent shooting for the game and 15.2 percent from three-point range.
In a back and forth match against UNE, the Polar Bears ultimately suffered a tough 68-64 loss.“There were a couple of unfortunate turnovers that hurt us down the stretch, and we left some of their key shooters open and they made some big plays,” said senior captain Sara Binkhorst. “We had a couple of lapses defensively. I think overall we played a solid game. There were moments when we really showed how good we can be.”
After a wild first half, UNE led 37-31. Bowdoin gained a 47-45 edge over the Nor’easters when Lauren Petit ’18 sunk a three-pointer with 11:20 remaining in the game. The Polar Bears gained momentum and maintained their lead until the last three minutes when UNE took a 56-54 edge.
“UNE changed up their defense and I felt like that affected us a little bit for a while—then we finally got into a rhythm against their zone defense,” said Head Coach Adrienne Shibles.The game was extremely close in its dying moments. Binkhorst made a jump shot with six seconds remaining to pull the Polar Bears within two. However, UNE converted six straight from the free throw line in the final 38 seconds to secure their victory.
“We really could have done a better job of taking care of the ball and we had some great opportunities—baskets that just rolled out.” said Shibles. “I mean, that’s sort of just how things are in the game.”
Although Binkhorst and Shannon Brady ’16 scored an impressive 19 and 18 points respectively, the team’s sporadic scoring led to its defeat.
“Basketball is a game of runs and momentum and that’s bound to happen,” added Shibles. “I do feel like we can be more consistent and it is early in the season—we are a young team—so these are important lessons to learn that will help us.”
Bowdoin came back with a blowout 77-33 non-conference win against Salve Regina four days after the loss to UNE.
Petit opened the game with a three pointer and Bowdoin ran away with a 47-14 lead. After a promising 11-point run from the Seahawks in the second half, the Polar Bears answered right back with a 13-2 run of their own to put the game away.
The exceptional defensive performance was accompanied by a solid offensive attack led by Brady with 16 points and Marle Curle ’17 and Siena Mitman ’15 with 10 points apiece. Ally Silfen ’17 contributed eight rebounds and eight points.
The team is optimistic about the season.
“I think we’ll do great,” said Hancock. “I think those first couple losses were just really good learning opportunities in the beginning. We’re really going to peak at a great time when we start playing really hard NESCAC teams and we’ll be right in the position we want to be in—one of the best teams in the league.”
Shibles said she shares this optimism and acknowledges that the team has shown great progress, but knows the Polar Bears must also apply what they have learned so far to the rest of the season.
“There’s a lot we’re working on,” said Shibles. “On the defensive end I feel like we made a big improvement from the UNE game to the Salve game. Our defensive intensity was much better and our closeouts were much better. Offensively I think we just need to be consistently aggressive.”
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Men’s hockey debuts with shutout against Panthers
Men’s ice hockey opened the season last Saturday with a dynamic 6-0 win against Middlebury, shutting out the Panthers with solid goaltending from Max Fenkell ’15. The Polar Bears, ranked No. 14 nationally by US College Hockey Online, then tied Williams 3-3 on Sunday afternoon. After the weekend Bowdoin and Williams have records of 1-0-1 in the NESCAC, and Middlebury’s conference record stands at 0-1-1.
Just 2:36 into the opening frame of the Middlebury game, forward John McGinnis ’15 took a feed from forward Matt Lison ’18 and scored to give Bowdoin the lead. Then, with 2:55 remaining in the period, McGinnis put another goal on the scoreboard, firing the puck into the net from inside the faceoff circle.
In the second period, defenseman Matt Sullivan ’17 scored off an assist from forward Matthew Melanson ’18, shooting the puck into the top right corner of the net from the left of the faceoff circle.
With just three seconds remaining in the middle frame, McGinnis again connected with Lison, who slid the puck across the crease to forward Connor Quinn ’15, who knocked it into an open net.
In the third period, first year forward Spencer Antunez scored the fifth goal of the game, and Sullivan scored his second of the night on a power play to send the Panthers off with a 6-0 defeat.
Middlebury tested Fenkell with 20 shots, but the Polar Bear goalie came away from the game with his first shutout performance.
The next day against Williams, the Polar Bears had a far closer game.
“I think the big thing is when you look at that game, to come off of such an emotional game the night before and then come right back the next day, it was a big adjustment for our young kids,” said Assistant Coach Jamie Dumont. “Everyone was pretty amped up Saturday night, but you have to be just as amped up on Sunday. I think some of our guys were a little stagnant in some areas, but I think that’s chalking it up to experience.”
The first frame of the game was scoreless, but defenseman Mitch Barrington ’17 opened the second period by slamming home a slapshot for the lead. The Ephs answered quickly with two goals from freshman forwards Colby Cretella and David Italiano. However, McGinnis tied the game up by redirecting a Barrington slapshot into the net.
Williams regained a one-goal edge in the third when Cretella put another shot past goalie Peter Cronin ’18. The Ephs’ lead stood for most of the third period, but with 52 seconds remaining in regulation, Quinn scored to force overtime. Neither team was able to score in the extra period, so the game ended in a tie.
Cronin made 21 saves in the game, and Polar Bears gave away only one power play.A number of rookies excelled on the ice this weekend, according to captain Ryan Collier ’15.“The leadership of the team has been focused on making [the first years] feel welcome and starting out with good chemistry even before the season began,” said Collier. “Right off the bat, given the fact that we just had two games, most of the freshmen—not all—have played and stepped up to the plate and contributed in different ways. I think they are generally a deep group. All across the board they bring something to the table.”
The Polar Bears will play rival Colby at 7 p.m. in Watson Arena tonight, then travel to Waterville to face the Mules at 7 p.m. tomorrow. Tonight’s home game—Bowdoin’s most poplar sporting event of the year—is sold out.
“We just need to focus on what our game plan is and what we do well,” said Dumont. “We need to establish our forecheck and go after their defensemen—really put on some pressure. If we can stay out of the box and stay emotionally connected, I think we can be successful.”The team continues its season with an away game on Tuesday, against the University of New England.
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Football falls to Colby in Caputi’s last game
The football team fought hard but endured a crushing 14-7 loss against Colby last Saturday. The Polar Bears failed to keep their edge against the Mules in the last minutes of the game, leaving both the seniors and retiring Head Coach Dave Caputi with a disheartening farewell.Bowdoin started the game strong but quickly yielded possession to Colby. Within minutes, Mules’ running back Jibari Hurdle-Prince pulled off a 77-yard rush for a touchdown—Colby’s longest play this season.
The Mules missed the extra point, and the game stayed 6-0 through half-time until Bowdoin intercepted the Mules in the third quarter. Bowdoin captain and defensive back Jon Fraser ’15 picked off a Colby pass and ran it into the Colby red zone. Running back Tyler Grant ’17 carried the ball three times in the brief drive that ensued, running to the left on his third carry for an eight-yard touchdown. Kicker Andrew Murowchick ’16 converted the extra point to give Bowdoin a 7-6 lead, which it maintained until the fourth quarter.
In the last quarter of the game, Colby went 60 yards in five plays and scored on a 25-yard pass from Harrington to wide receiver Luke Duncklee with 10 minutes to go. The Mules failed to capitalize on another scoring opportunity on their next possession, missing a 34-yard field goal attempt.
Bowdoin regained possession of the ball and was able to quickly march into Colby territory after four completions by senior quarterback Mac Caputi with less than a minute left. With seven seconds remaining, wide receiver Daniel Barone ’16 hauled in a 10-yard pass to bring the ball to the Colby 32.
Caputi’s last two passes were incomplete, and the team failed to repeat the dramatic hail mary that ended last year’s Bowdoin-Colby game.
Grant ran for 156 yards on 37 carries on the day, finishing the year with 893 yards—the third most in a single season in school history, trailing Jim Soule’s 1,140 in 1976 and Greg Bohannon’s 1,092 from 1987.
Defensive lineman Jake Prince ’15 made 10 tackles, and defensive lineman Nadim Elhage ’16 had two tackles for loss, including a sack.
Colby’s victory brought both teams’ records to 2-6. Bowdoin’s season started off rough in with a 36-0 loss to Williams and a 30-7 loss to Amherst, but the Polar Bears showed signs of a resurgence with two consecutive wins against Tufts and Hamilton. The team then lost its final four games of the season.
Despite their losing record, the Polar Bears believe that they held their own against reputable NESCAC teams. Throughout the season, Bowdoin proved capable of making big plays.“There are a lot of examples this season that show that we can be a really great team,” said offensive lineman Jonathan Macat ’16. “Obviously it isn’t how we wanted to end things.”Saturday’s game against Colby was the final game for Coach Caputi, who finished his career with 35 victories.
Caputi has four outright Colby-Bates-Bowdoin (CBB) Championships and held the CBB trophy for six consecutive seasons between 2006-2011.
“I was a little disappointed with how we finished our year because I thought we had three of our last four games,” said Coach Caputi. “We were within a touchdown. A play here, a play there—that’s what it came to in the game. We put ourselves in the position to do well, but I’m disappointed that we didn’t. There are some things I wish I had done better or differently.”Although the game marked the end of both Caputis’ careers with Bowdoin, a new future is ahead for the retiring coach and his son.
“It’s fun, refreshing, strange—all at the same time,” said Dave Caputi. “It’s something new and different.”
Mac Caputi said that he will miss playing for the team.
“Being a part of Bowdoin football with a bunch of high-quality dudes has been an awesome experience,” he said.
The search for a replacement head coach for the team is already underway, with a hire expected to be made in early 2015.
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Football drops the CBB championship
The football team fell to Bates on Saturday at Whittier Field, conceding the CBB (Colby-Bowdoin-Bates) championship to the Bobcats. After winning back-to-back games in the middle of the season, the 10-7 loss was Bowdoin’s third consecutive defeat. The Polar Bears stand at 2-5 while Bates improve to 3-4.
“We had a pretty strong showing against Bates in a game with horrible field conditions,” said running back Tyler Grant ’17. “We just weren’t able to make a few plays when we needed to.”Both teams failed to put points on the board in the first half, despite a number of promising campaigns downfield.
In the Polar Bears’ second possession of the game, Grant broke free for a 57-yard rush to the Bates 23-yard line. Following the season’s trend, the team failed to finish the drive when Garrett Thomas ’17 fumbled the ball two plays later.
In the second, a bad snap squandered Bowdoin’s chances at a 25-yard field goal. Bates also failed to score, making it into Bowdoin territory twice without reaching the endzone.The visitors finally took a 7-0 lead over the Polar Bears with a three-yard run into the endzone five minutes into the second half.
Both offenses struggled early in the fourth quarter as four of the first five possessions of the period ended in turnovers.
Bowdoin finally tied the game with a six-play, 72-yard drive. Two personal fouls against Bates helped the Polar Bears move the ball to the Bobcat’s 37-yard line, where quarterback Mac Caputi ’15 advanced the ball into the redzone with a completed pass to tight end Matt Perlow ’15. A 22-yard carry by first-year running back Drew Prescott and a three-yard touchdown run from Grant brought the game to a stalemate with 8:36 remaining.
A facemask penalty on the ensuing kickoff gave Bates great starting field position at the Bowdoin 42-yard line. The Bobcats then ran down the clock with a seven-minute drive, ultimately lining up for a 25-yard field goal with 1:14 left.
With the CBB title on the line, the offense pushed into Bates territory, but after a penalty and two incomplete passes, the campaign was cut short as Bates ran out the clock end the game at 10-7.
Bowdoin’s offense racked up 294 total yards—51 more yards than Bates’ did. Caputi went 8-26 (31 percent) for 94 yards.
Grant, who has been one of the few bright spots for the team this season, rushed 27 times for 151 yards, increasing his season total to 737 yards. In doing this he broke the sophomore rushing mark of 676 set by Joe Bonasera ’73 in 1970. This also moves him up to sixth place on Bowdoin’s single-season rushing list.
The Polar Bear defense made 11 tackles for loss on the afternoon, led by linebacker Branden Morin ’16 who had eight tackles, including two and a half for losses.
“For 65-75 percent of the game we dominated defensively,” said assistant coach Eric Westerfield. “But it came that close and under those conditions it was a low scoring affair.”
Bowdoin will finish its season at Colby tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. While the Colby game is always a season landmark, this game carries extra weight as it marks the last game of the seniors’ careers and the last game before before Head Coach Caputi retires.
“I can’t believe it’s already our last game with the seniors—they are all my brothers and I’m going to miss playing beside them in the years to come,” said Grant. “They have been great role models and teammates and I’ll be playing this last game for them to hopefully send them off with a win because they deserve it.”
This year, the Mules have a new offensive coordinator, Coach Joe Fogarty, and their 11-year Head Coach, Jonathan Michaeles, is well-known to Bowdoin. Their starting quarterback, Gabe Harrington, is notorious in Brunswick for his accomplished throwing game.
“Offensively, they’re gonna throw a lot,” said Coach Westerfield. “That’s not to say they won’t ever run. They will shotgun it a lot through the center. Our guys will definitely put down coverage. There’s a lot of emotional energy there for the game and the guys know what’s at stake here. Last year, with the way the game ended, there were a lot of fireworks. The players will be fired up.”
“Colby is going to be a hard fought game against a team that we can beat if we put a strong effort together and play like we have been practicing all year,” added Westerfield.
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Football continues to sink in shutout by Wesleyan
Football suffered a heart-wrenching loss Saturday, getting shut out by Wesleyan 35-0. The Polar Bears’ offense failed to overcome the Cardinals’ defense, which stifled them to only 170 yards of total offense during the game.
“They’re a good team,” said Head Coach Dave Caputi. “We didn’t put out our best performance—coaches and players. It’s really that simple.”
On Wesleyan’s last possession in the first quarter, the team scored a touchdown with a 15-yard pass into the Bowdoin endzone. Cardinal senior quarterback Jesse Warren completed the touchdown pass to wide receiver Josh Hurwitz.
On the following Bowdoin possession, quarterback Mac Caputi ’15 was sacked twice to send the Polar Bears back on the defensive.
The Cardinals proceeded to march up the field to the Bowdoin end zone on the ensuing possession, starting the second quarter with an 11-play campaign to score. Warren passed to Hurwitz again, bringing the score to 14-0.
Tim Drakeley ’17 took over as quarterback for Bowdoin in the second quarter. Aside from one short possession in the third, Drakeley played as quarterback for the remainder of the game.At the end of the second, Wesleyan pulled off another scoring strike against Bowdoin in a seven-play 61-yard drive for the touchdown. This time, Warren completed a pass to tight end Jon Day to close in the last three yards of the play. The Cardinals had a 21-0 advantage at the break.
Both teams traded possession of the ball for the opening minutes of the third quarter. Bowdoin’s defensive back Dan Johnson ’15 intercepted a pass from Warren, but the Polar Bears were unable to capitalize on the opportunity and did not make it past their own 15-yard line.
During the next Wesleyan possession, Jay Fabian caught a 10-yard pass into the Bowdoin endzone with 4:42 left in the third quarter.
At the start of the fourth, the Cardinals advanced their lead once again by opening with a slow but steady 15-play drive down the field which ended with a 7-yard touchdown pass by Wesleyan’s prolific duo—Warren and Hurwitz. The Polar Bears, unable to drum anything up on offense, ended the game down 35-0.
Caputi and Drakeley went a combined 11-27 (41 percent) passing for 147 yards. Running back Tyler Grant ’17, who broke Bowdoin’s carry record in a 208-yard performance against Tufts two weeks ago, had a lackluster day on the ground, rushing for 52 yards on 17 carries. Wide receiver Daniel Barone ’16 caught three passes for 43 yards.
On the defensive side, linebacker Brendan Lawler ’16 made a game-high 12 tackles. Defensive back Jibrail Coy ’16 and linebacker Bjorn Halvorson ’17 made nine tackles apiece.
Bowdoin’s season record now stands at 2-4 while the Cardinals are tied for second in the NESCAC with a 5-1 record. With just two weeks left, Bowdoin’s season is drawing to a close. Tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. the Polar Bears will look to get back in the win column when they return to Whittier Field to take on Bates, which also has a 2-4 record.
“They are traditionally a run-oriented team, but they’re throwing the ball more this season,” said Coach Caputi. “We know what we’re facing. I don’t think they’re going to change much at all.”
The Polar Bears are prepared for a tough game to start of the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Championship (CBB) series, which signals what Bowdoin football calls “Boiled Owl Week.”
Bates beat Colby last weekend so Bowdoin must win tomorrow to have a chance at winning the championship.
Although Bates has a sub-par record, one of its two wins came against the Williams team that beat the Polar Bears 36-0 to open the season.
“It’s pretty much about being a tough, hard-nosed football team and slugging it out with Bates until the last minute of the game,” said offensive lineman Jonathan Macat ’16.
With Coach Caputi retiring after the season, capturing the CBB belt carries extra weight for the team this season.
“We have not won the CBB Championship in two years. It’s time we return it to Bowdoin and send our senior teammates off with memories of victories and being champions,” said Macat.
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Football loses early lead, falls to undefeated Trinity
The football team dropped its homecoming game against Trinity last Saturday in a close 17-10 contest. The Polar Bears held the lead until the fourth quarter when Trinity scored two touchdowns to secure the seven-point victory. The loss marked the end of a two game win streak and put Bowdoin’s record at 2-3.
Although the end result was not favorable the Polar Bears played some of their best football of the season against the undefeated Bantams.
“We matched one of the top teams in the conference on Saturday,” said linebacker Bjorn Halvorson ’17. “Defensively we accomplished many of our goals and had our best performance of the season.”
After neither team managed to score in the first quarter, Bowdoin put up the game’s first points on the scoreboard with a 27-yard field goal by kicker Andrew Sisti ’18 early in the second quarter.
“In the first half, we didn’t make any mistakes and we played hard,” said Head Coach Dave Caputi. “All in all, it went very well for a while and then it fell apart.”
On Trinity’s following possession, Bowdoin linebacker Branden Morin ’16 intercepted Bantams’ quarterback Henry Foye’s pass at Trinity’s 45 yard-line, returning it all the way for the touchdown.
The Polar Bears led 10-0 until just before halftime, when Trinity managed to march 50 yards up the field in 10 plays and score a 25-yard field goal.
Both teams failed to score on the following possessions. After a fumble recovery from linebacker Brendan Lawler ’16, the Polar Bears tried to expand their lead with a field goal. However, Sisti missed from 41 yards out.
The Bantams drove 46 yards down the field in response, but turned over the ball at the Bowdoin 28-yard line when Foye was sacked by defensive linemen Tom Wells ’15 and Jake Prince ’15.
Trinity opened the fourth quarter with a six-play, 60-yard touchdown drive, tying the game 10-10 with 13:17 remaining. The drive was sparked by a big play from Trinity’s senior running back Michael Budness that advanced the ball to the Bowdoin’s 30-yard line. Four plays later, the Bantams’ first year wide receiver Bryan Vieira caught a 15-yard pass for the touchdown.
On the following possession, Bowdoin failed to move the ball into the red zone and punted the ball back to Trinity. The Bantams—led by a 37-yard pass from Foye to wide reciever Ian Dugger—drove down the field 85 yards in ten plays. A back corner pass into the Bowdoin endzone sealed the drive and gave Trinity a 17-10 edge over Bowdoin with 6:22 left in the game.
The Polar Bears went three-and-out on their next possession, and the ball was returned to Trinity, who let the clock run out the final 5:26, leaving the final score at 17-10.“Defensively, we played the best game we have all year as a unit,” said Morin. “We had an unbelievable week of practice and I think that definitely showed. We have another tough opponent this week in Wesleyan, so we need to focus on carrying that same effort into practice this week.”
Quarterback Mac Caputi ’15 went 9-25 (36 percent) for 98 yards passing. Running back Tyler Grant ’17 led the offense rushing for 85 yards on 27 carries. And senior wide receiver Christian Dulmaine caught three passes for 44 yards.
“We didn’t generate enough offense and we just have to do some things differently,” said Caputi.
On defense, Halvorson led the team with 14 tackles. Morin finished with nine tackles, a sack, 2.5 tackles for a loss, an interception and a pass breakup.
Bowdoin will travel to Connecticut tomorrow to play Wesleyan at 12:30 p.m. Wesleyan is 4-1 this season after losing to Amherst 30-33 last week in overtime.
“Wesleyan has a very good defense. They run the ball effectively on offense, and they’re a veteran team,” said Caputi. “They are a worthy adversary.”
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Football rebounds with consecutive wins
After a rough start to its season, the football team is currently enjoying a two-game win streak. Two weeks ago, the Polar Bears ended Tufts undefeated season, beating the Jumbos 33-20. Last week, Bowdoin beat Hamilton 30-24, rallying in the second half for the victory.
Running back Tyler Grant ’17 had a school record 43 carrys for 203 yards and four touchdowns to propel the Polar Bears past the Jumbos on Whittier Field.
Bowdoin took the opening kick-off and drove steadily into the Jumbo red zone. After a 13-play drive, Grant rushed it in one yard for the touchdown, giving the Polar Bears a 6-0 lead after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
Tufts came right back at Bowdoin with a drive culminating in a 15-yard touchdown run by the Jumbo’s Chance Brady. Tufts converted its point after to take a 7-6 lead. Bowdoin answered back quickly with a Grant one-yard touchdown run on the first play in the second quarter.
The Polar Bear offense failed to extend its lead after Bjorn Halvorson ’17 intercepted the Jumbos, allowing Tufts to retake control of the game when it scored on its next possesion. Bowdoin struck back on its next possesion, culminating its drive with a Grant 12-yard rush to give the Polar Bears a 20-14 lead.
Bowdoin and Tufts continued to exchange blows in the second half. The Jumbos opened the half on a quick, 73-yard scoring drive to tie the game 20-20.
With the same consistency it showed in the first half, Bowdoin hit Tufts right back. During their opening drive of the half, wide receiver Seamus Power ’16 made a remarkable one-handed catch for 19 yards to the Tuft’s 13-yard line, setting the Polar Bears up for a field goal.“I don’t think that in my time here I’ve ever seen a catch like that,” said Assistant Coach Chris Sapp. “It’s the best catch I’ve seen by someone in the NESCAC.”
Kicker Andrew Sisti ’18 made another field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter, extending Bowdoin’s lead to 26-20. Grant hammered the final nail into the coffin with a 42-yard touchdown run with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Bowdoin’s defense held Tufts down for the rest of the game, sealing the 33-20 victory.
“It was crucial when the game got to 20-20,” said Sapp. “It was bend don’t break. We came right back at them and we played with high energy.”
“In the fourth quarter, it felt really good to know we were about to beat a team that came out 2-0 in the beginning of the season,” said Sisti. “To be able to make my first couple field goals for the team was definitely a relief, but at the same time exciting.”
Quarterback Mac Caputi ’15 shined in the Tufts game, throwing for 209-yards. Bowdoin proved that it could continue to play well and rise to full capacity after defeating Hamilton last Saturday.
The first quarter was slow for both teams with the only points scored on a field goal by the Continental’s Zachary Altneu. Within the first few minutes of the second quarter, Sisti matched Hamilton’s score with a field goal for the Polar Bears.
Bowdoin stepped up its game in the second half, scoring the only 10 points of the quarter, including a Jack Donovon ’15 touchdown catch by, to give the Polar Bears a 16-10 lead going into the final quarter.
“The team came out with energy after halftime that was absolutely amazing to witness,” said Macat.
The energy culminated in the fourth quarter. Defensive back Jon Fraser ’15 intercepted a pass by Hamilton’s quarterback Chase Rosenberg. The Polar Bears were able to take advantage of the turnover, ending their drive with a six-yard touchdown rush by Grant.
After a long scoring drive the Continentals thought they sucessfully converted an onside kick but were flagged for offsides, giving the Polar Bears great field position after Hamilton’s next onside kick attempt failed.
Using the short field, Grant slipped through the defense, evaded the right tackle and rushed for 39 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown with two minutes remaining to give Bowdoin a 30-17 lead.
Hamilton wide receiver Amman Weaver returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. Cutting the Polar Bear lead to 30-24 with less than two minutes to go.
Bowdoin was not able to completley kill the clock and gave Hamilton the ball back with nine seconds remaining. The Polar Bears intercepted the Continentals hail mary attempt to seal the game on the next play.
The Polar Bears look forward to their homecoming game tomorrow against Trinity—a top ranked team in the NESCAC—at 12:30 p.m.
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Football defeated 30-7 looking for some answers
After a competitive first half on Saturday, the football team reverted to the form it showed last week against Williams, allowing Amherst to pull away in the third quarter and ultimately defeat the Polar Bears 30-7.
Bowdoin started the game strong, but with six minutes left in the first quarter a long Amherst drive culminated in a 14 yard touchdown rush.
After Amherst scored a field goal in the opening minutes of the second quarter, the Polar Bears forced a fumble at Amherst’s 44-yard line and drove toward the end zone.
It looked as if Bowdoin was about to shift the game’s momentum when, at Amherst’s one-yard line, quarterback Timmy Drakely ’17 fumbled the ball, allowing Amherst to hold its 9-0 lead. Senior captain Mac Caputi started the game behind center for the Polar Bears, but Drakely took over in the second quarter after Caputi was sacked. Caputi returned to play later in the second half.
“I thought we had a better week of practice,” said Head Coach Dave Caputi. “I thought we were focused. We came up playing pretty well, even though we made a couple of mistakes early in the game. We bounced back. We had a chance just before the half.”
In the third quarter, Amherstnarrowly avoided giving up a safety. Shortly after, the Lord Jeff’s Jackson McGonagle scored a 97-yard touchdown, the longest passing play in Amherst football history.
Mac Caputi threw an interception on Bowdoin’s next possession, resulting in another Amherst touchdown just 47 seconds later. Right before the end of the third quarter, Amherst completed a 26 yard pass for another touchdown that brought the score to 30-0.
In the fourth quarter the Polar Bears found a silver lining. Following a 27-yard pass to running back Drew Prescott ’18, who was tackled at the one-yard line, Caputi punched the ball in for the Polar Bears’ first touchdown of the season with 45 seconds remaining.
“I think we beat ourselves,” said Coach Caputi after the game. “They were a good team and they did some good things. We made too many mistakes.”
Caputi completed 14 of his 21 passes (66 percent) for 102 yards and Drakely completed 13 of 24 (54 percent) for 96 yards. Tyler Grant ’17 led the offense with 86 rushing yards, followed by wide receiver Daniel Barone ’16, who had seven catches for 61 yards. Bowdoin turned the ball over three times and allowed three sacks on the day.
Defensively, Bowdoin was led by junior linebackers Brendan Lawler and Branden Morin, who had seven tackles each. Defensive lineman Tom Wells ’15 contributed six tackles.
Coaches and players are looking to improve going into their next game against Tufts tomorrow at Whittier Field at 1:30 p.m.
“We are a better team than what we’ve performed as,” said Assistant Coach Chris Sapp.“The guys have a lot of energy and are striving. [They] know that the mistakes we have made are correctable. So if we can correct those mistakes then we can be in a better position to make plays.”
The football program at Tufts has been improving steadily over the past couple of years. After a 31-game losing streak, the Jumbos have rapidly become one of the up-and-coming teams in the NESCAC. Their record is 2-0 so far, after defeating Bates 42-24 in week one and Hamilton 24-17 in week two.
Their team has many young players who have had a lot of experience and Bowdoin is well acquainted with Tuft’s coaches. Next week will definitely be a challenge for the Polar Bears.“Their quarterback is good,” Coach Sapp said. “He’s been their three-year starter. They’re up tempo. They’ll pick up the pace and run. It’s kind of a no-huddle, run a play [team] and if things go good they’ll line up and play the same play again.”
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Williams runs over football 36-0
A disappointing loss to Williams College last Saturday has left the football team searching for answers. The 36-0 loss in the season opener was the first shutout Bowdoin has suffered since the 2012 season.
Williams opened the game with a touchdown off their second drive on a pass to wide receiver Darrias Sime. The Polar Bears threw a pick shortly after, which Williams ran back for a touchdown. After missing the extra point, the Ephs still led 13-0. Before the end of the first half The Ephs managed to score again, bringing their lead to 19-0. Again, they failed to get the extra point at the conversion.
“At half-time we were still in the game. Going in we just knew we needed to do better than the first half,” said offensive lineman Jonathan Macat ’16. “Anything that happened in the first half didn’t matter.”
Bowdoin did not improve in the second half. The Ephs continued to show success driving the ball and scored two touchdowns of over 30 yards.
Overall, Bowdoin’s offense finished with 80 yards rushing and quarterback Mac Caputi ’15 went 19-36 (53%) for 132 yards, with one interception. Running back Tyler Grant ’17 rushed for 58 yards. Daniel Barone ’16 had six receptions for 45 yards and an additional 70 return yards. The Polar Bears also had three turnovers.
Defensive back Jibrail Coy ’16 and defensive lineman Jake Prince ’15 lead the Polar Bear’s defense with six and five tackles respectivley.
Saturday’s defeat came as a surprise after a successful preseason so the team is not completely let down after the defeat.
“When they play like they can—like the way I know these guys can play—we have a breakout team, not just breakout players,” said Macat.
It is the Polar Bears’ fifteenth year with Head Coach Dave Caputi, and they are starting with a much healthier team this year. Last season, several players, including Matt Perlow ’15 and Coy were benched with injuries. This year, there are 13 returning starters along with first years who have proven to be both diligent and talented.
“I think it’s a mature group and a hard-working group.” said Coach Caputi.Despite the loss, the team is recharged and ready to take on Amherst at home on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
“All we can do is play one game at a time, and all we can do is play one play at a time at every game. There were some simple plays we could have made on Saturday that we just didn’t make.” said Coach Caputi. “It’s just a matter of going back and instilling a little bit of confidence and coaching up some small things to make our game better.”
“I think we know what we pretty much need to do; it just comes down to doing it and executing it,” said Mac Caputi.
The team hopes to play more like it did in the pre-season and put last week’s disappointing performance behind it.
“It’s nothing that we can’t and haven’t done in the past few weeks. In no way is it a foreshadow of the rest of our year,” said Grant.
The refrain from the team and coaches is that the players have shown they are more than capable of having a succesful season.
The weekend’s loss against the Ephs is not in the past for the Polar Bears who are looking ahead to their home opener against Amherst tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. on Whittier Field.