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Volume CXXXIII, Number 2 |
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Men's soccer: Eight is great
CHRIS SAUNDERS
Staff Writer
It's hard to keep a good team down. This weekend, the Bowdoin Men's Soccer
Team proved that they are a quality club with the determination, ability,
and heart to succeed.
The Polar Bears traveled to Trinity for their season opener, facing a
squad that had bolstered its roster and was looking to give Bowdoin a
tough match. The Bears got off to a quick start on Saturday, getting goals
from senior Dave Bulow and junior Bart McMann in the first half.
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| Kevin Folan '03, faking out an opponent, makes his move upfield. (Henry Coppola, Bowdoin Orient) |
The men stayed in good shape, carrying the lead late into the game. In
the wanning minutes of the matchup, Trinity managed to jump start its
sputtering offense, tying the game with just over five minutes to play.
However, the Bowdoin men proved to have one last trick up their sleeve.
First-year standout Tucker Hodgkins fed a cross to Patrick Kinniard '04,
who headed it in with just 27 ticks left on the clock. The Bantams gave
our boys a run for their money, but Bowdoin prevailed, finishing on top
of a 3-2 score.
Back on campus, the Bowdoin faithful had planned a celebration for their
beloved team at the Pine Street apartments. Unfortunately, the Brunswick
Police arrived before the team did, somewhat ruining the surprise and
celebratory atmosphere.
Determined to show their love and support, Bowdoin's "Soccer Cubs"
revived the celebration thr next morning, arriving at Farley with a Budweiser
inflatable couch raised above their heads and chants of "Ole!"
and "Eight is Great!"
With newly laid sod on the men's field forcing a change of venue to the
women's pitch, the Polar Bears seemed both uncomfortable in their surroundings
and slightly fatigued from the previous day's gruelling match.
The Bears survived an early miscue in backfield, which saw a diving Travis
Derr '04 look on helplessly as the ball bounced off the post and was then
dispatched of by a Polar Bear defender. After finally pulling themselves
up by the bootstraps, the Bears looked hungry for Beaver blood.
With the halftime score knotted at 0-0, the teams took a break to confer
with their coaches. Bowdoin's Brian Ainscough must have lit a fire beneath
the team; after just 3:14 in the second half, Bobby Desilets '05 rocketed
a shot that landed in the bottom left corner of the Beaver net.
The feat sent Desilets into what must have been a fit of madness, because
he pulled his shirt over his head and ran blindly towards the sideline
until his mates caught up to him and reassured him that everything would
be all right.
Later in the second half, Bulow finshed a header with a blast that screamed
by the Babson keeper into the goal. Seemingly struck by the same madness
that affected Desilets earlier, Bulow began hallucinating, sprinting to
the corner flag and granting it an impromptu invitation for a jig. Bulow
too had to be settled by his teamates and reminded that they still had
a match to finish.
One member of the Bowdoin squad who was able to make some rational comments
was midfielder Tucker Hodgkins. Commenting on the game and fans, he said
that the team "…started off sloppy, especially on defense. But
in the second half we really took control…the fans on the sideline
helped us out. It's a big boost to see them over there, we really appreciate
them."
Taking advantage of the fatigue and mysterious effects that goal-scoring
had on the Bears, Babson managed to cut the score to 2-1 when they tapped
in a ball that popped out of a scrum in front of the Bowdoin net. But
with minutes remaining in the match, Bulow added one final tally to the
scorecard as he danced by the keeper, allowed him to try and catch up,
and then humiliated him by finishing with a typical shimmy.
Bulow was named NESCAC's Player of the Week for his efforts in both games.
The success of the team this past weekend not only propelled them to
the #23 spot in national rankings, but prepared them for Williams, one
of their toughest upcoming matches. "We know they're a tough team,"
said Hodgkins. "They're probably our biggest rival in the NESCAC."
The match against the #3 Purple Cows will take place tomorrow at 12:00.
Cubs, get out there and support our boys-GO U BEARS!