This past weekend was one for the books - for the first time EVER we won a NESCAC playoff game and are headed to Middlebury College for the NESCAC Final Four weekend. The win was very sweet as we had to come from behind to beat Bowdoin 12-9. But before any of those thrilling moments came to pass we had to face a tough Connecticut College team on Saturday in our last regular season game.
The weather cooperated once again providing us with sunny skies and warm temperatures. It was the perfect atmosphere to honor our seniors, Caroline, CJ, Ellen and Mish, and their tremendous commitment to the program for four years. They have made an incredible impression on the program, guiding us to new heights last year as we hosted our first NESCAC playoff game, and participated in NCAAs for the first time since 1998. This year has seen some equally impressive benchmarks under their leadership. We matched our conference record from last season and for the first time won a NESCAC tournament game. They made such important and lasting contributions - we thank you again seniors!
After our senior announcements, the game started out strong for us. We were able to put together a 9 goal run that saw 7 different people score and gave us a 10-2 advantage over the visiting Camels. We would trade goals back and forth for the remainder of the half, leading at the break by a score of 12-5. The beginning of the second half belonged to Conn as they worked tirelessly to get back into the game. With their season in the balance they put on the pressure, scoring the first 5 goals of the second half. Now only leading by 2 goals, our Bants responded and scored the next 5 out of 6 goals to put us back up by a comfortable margin of 17-11. Conn still refused to go quietly and tacked on the last 2 goals of the game, to make it a 17-13 final.
Ceej lead all scores with 5 goals, with 3 of those coming at the end of the game to stretch out our lead when Conn was rallying back. Jenn Calver contributed tremendously in her ability to win draw controls - securing 5 draw controls on the day. It was a great team effort and a good way to close out the regular season.
We had a wonderful tailgate with burgers and hotdogs and food galore as we celebrated our season and our seniors! We anxiously waited to hear who we would be facing and were stunned to get updates that the top two teams in the conference had been upset - Colby beat Amherst 12-7 and Tufts pulled out a thrilling victory over Middlebury, 15-7. We were excited to find out that Bowdoin had beat Williams by a goal, and would be our opponent on Sunday. We enjoyed the rest of the day and prepared to face the Polar Bears on Sunday.
The Bowdoin game certainly provided the excitement and atmosphere of NESCAC playoff competition. Both teams were feeling good and ready to play. Defense was the name of the game early as each team struggled to put together any sort of scoring run. Bowdoin notched the first goal of the game. We quickly responded a minute late with a Caite Irvine score. We spent the next few minutes on attack and extended the lead to 3-1, capped off with a nicely assisted goal from Rachel to CJ. Bowdoin pushed things on their attacking end but struggled to solve our defensive pressure. The entire defense was working together very well to take away any good looks for Bowdoin. It was a very impressive team effort. At the half Bowdoin had only mustered 3 goals. We took a 6-3 lead into the break.
The second half was exciting for any fan of women's lacrosse. After a fairly low scoring first half, both offenses were hungry for action in the second half. Bowdoin came out of the gate quickly, scoring just 2 minutes into the second stanza. This would spark an impressive run of goals for the Polar Bears as they used the next 10 minutes to tack on four more goals, giving them an 8-7 lead with just over 15 minutes to play.
The Bowdoin lead was short lived, as Rachel controlled the draw and took the ball to cage, tying the game at 8-8 just 13 seconds later. From that point on we were able to possess the ball, largely due to Jenn Calver's ability to win the draw, and quickly went on a run of our own. Over the next 10 minutes we scored four goals, 3 from Caite Irvine and one from CJ to extend our lead to 12-8. Bowdoin would answer once more but could do nothing more against our stellar defensive unit. We were able to tick time off the clock and secure the win. It was a thrilling game!
The play of the game has to go to Ellen for her incredible block in transition when Bowdoin was on their offensive run midway through the second half. Mish was incredible in goal, making 17 saves and coming up with huge saves on free position shots late in the game. Pecks, Bo, Sconch and Annie were tremendous in their defensive efforts and their ability to safely transition the ball down field. It was an incredible effort. Special praise should also go out to Remer for absolutely controlling the direction of the draw, ensuring that Rachel or Jenn had a solid play for possession. Everyone contributed - the sideline was amazing - positive and supportive of everyone on the field. It was truly a great day to be a Bant!
We look forward to taking on Amherst in the Semi-Finals of NESCACs on Saturday, at Middlebury College, at 2:30pm. Our game follows the Middlebury/Colby Semi-Final which starts at Noon.
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