An estimated 10,000 spectators flocked to Whittier Field one Saturday afternoon in the fall of 1960 to witness what the Boston Globe referred to as the game of the week between Bowdoin and the University of Maine.
BIG BRAINS
Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams were awarded College Team Academic Awards by the United Soccer Coaches Colleges Services Program this past week for their academic achievements during the 2019-2020 academic year. Every rostered member of both teams maintained a GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for the entirety of the academic year.
The Bowdoin Hall of Honor, founded in 2002, biannually inducts classes of five to six outstanding members of Bowdoin’s athletic community. Candidates are usually nominated by other alumni, and the finalists are chosen by a committee of seven former Bowdoin athletes.
In a normal year, the Bowdoin men’s soccer team would be in the midst of a busy season. They’d be practicing constantly and traveling for games almost every other day. But in a unique fall, one where the season is cancelled and practices are limited, the team is using a variety of tactics to stay in shape and bond as a team.
It is no coincidence that many of my earliest memories involve the game I fell in love with as a child. At three years old, I was watching my dad coach youth soccer. By the age of four, I was kicking a ball around with no other motive other than the pure, unbridled joy of it.
The technological era of sports is fully upon us. For years, pro sports teams have had access to tools providing them with advanced metrics and film breakdowns. However, these computational and quantitative tools are no longer exclusively used by professional teams.
This Saturday, the men’s soccer team will face its longtime Achilles’ heel, Amherst. Bowdoin has not beaten Amherst since 2014, when the Polar Bears beat the Mammoths in penalty kicks in the NESCAC championship. Before this, Bowdoin’s last win against Amherst was in 2010.
Last Saturday morning, the members of the Bowdoin men’s (9-5-2, 5-3-2 NESCAC) and women’s (7-7-2, 3-6-1 NESCAC) soccer teams donned their jerseys and laced up their cleats for what was likely both teams’ final game of the season.
After a rocky start to the season, the men’s soccer team (9-3-2, 5-2-2 NESCAC) has hit its stride and is currently entering the postseason with the momentum of a 7-1-2 record in its last 10 matches.
A liberal arts education is tailored to fit each student’s unique interests and career path, but as Jake Stenquist ’19 realized, there was neither a major nor minor at Bowdoin that would fully prepare him for his experience in the Marines’ Officer Candidate School (OCS).
Men’s JV soccer may know the basketball team’s schedule as well as the players do. Tim Gilbride, the men’s basketball head coach for 34 years, doubles as the head coach for JV soccer.
The team ended its undefeated season just before Fall Break.
All eyes were on the men’s soccer team (2-2-0) on Tuesday as it took the field in a non-conference game against Husson University (1-4-1) that ended in a 2-1 win for the Polar Bears. Over opening weekend, the team lost two games to Amherst (2-0-0) and St.
On Monday, the Bowdoin men’s soccer team (10-4-3, NESCAC 6-2-2) received the news that it was one of five NESCAC schools to earn an at-large bid to advance to the NCAA DIII tournament. After a 1-0 defeat by Middlebury in double overtime at the NESCAC semifinals, men’s soccer is looking forward to redemption at the tournament, as they go into their first game against Rutgers-Newark (20-2) this Saturday.
With three complete shutout games within the last week and a half, Stevie Van Siclen ’18, goalkeeper of the Bowdoin men’s soccer team (10-3-2, NESCAC 6-2-2), elevated his total number of career shutouts to 25—an all time high for career shutouts at Bowdoin. Van Siclen currently has a three-game shutout streak after games against Colby, Connecticut College and, most recently, Tufts. While Van Siclen’s immense skill and leadership on the field has only grown throughout his four years on the team, this year his presence has proved especially instrumental in guiding and unifying the team as the Polar Bears head into the playoffs.
The Bowdoin men’s soccer team (6-2, NESCAC 3-1) had a successful weekend, earning back-to-back wins against Middlebury (5-2, NESCAC 2-2) and the University of Southern Maine (4-5).
In Saturday’s game against Middlebury, Moctar Niang ’19 scored two header goals.
After a disappointing 2-1 loss to Amherst in the semifinals last season, men’s soccer is off to a strong start after beating UNE 2-0 on Thursday. The team hopes to carry the momentum to the first NESCAC match, where it will again face Amherst.