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Volume CXXXII, Number 18 |
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The bear facts of men's lax
ALLIE YANIKOSKI
STAFF WRITER
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| The Polar Bears return to practice after honing their craft in Florida. (Hans Law, Bowdoin Orient) |
After opening their season with an emphatic 15-8 victory over visiting Wheaton College on March 9, the men's lacrosse team traveled south for spring break to compete against Roanoke (8-11), St. Lawrence (9-11), and Clarkson (7-12).
"Throughout the past two weeks the team has shown moments of greatness, yet lacked the ability to play a complete game," senior co-captain Ted Scholhamer said of the men's recent struggle. However, "the team is beginning to come together nicely."
The team concluded their trip in New Fort Richey, Florida on March 20 against Clarkson. Senior Kyle Courtiss scored three goals, while junior Joe Andrasko, senior co-captain Jordan Fay, first-year Tom McKinley, and sophomore Phil Stern each scored once.
Three days earlier, Stern was the top Bowdoin scorer against St. Lawrence with four goals. Aided by Courtiss' three goals and sophomore Vinay Kashyap and first-year Chris Eaton's contributions of a goal apiece, the Bears maintained a close offensive margin to the Saints.
After dominating the first quarter, Bowdoin trailed St. Lawrence by one goal at the end of the second and third. St. Lawrence opened the last quarter with two successive goals. However, with less than a minute and a half remaining in the game, Courtiss netted another goal, resulting in a narrow final score.
Junior Grant White staunchly defended the Bowdoin goal, making 14 saves not only against St. Lawrence, but also against Clarkson and Roanoke.
Although Roanoke scored first in the March 13 game, first-year Connor Fitzgerald assisted Courtiss on two consecutive goals, followed shortly by a goal from Scholhamer, pulling the Bears into the lead after the first quarter.
Roanoke and Bowdoin traded goals for the next half-hour, leaving the game tied 7-7 entering the final quarter, after Stern, Scholhamer, Ford Gurall '04, and Kashyap each put in a goal.
With less than a minute remaining in the final quarter, Kashyap broke away from the field to nab a final goal for Bowdoin, followed by the fourth Roanoke goal of the period.
Along with Scholhamer, senior co-captain Micah Moreau, and first-year Ford Barker, Kashyap also scored twice the previous week against Wheaton. First-years Ryan Hurd and Andy Nelson, Stern, Fitzgerald, Courtiss, and Eaton all netted one goal apiece. White fended off nine shots on goal.
With a cumulative 32 goals scored thus far, the Bowdoin men proved to have an adept offensive line. "Last year our team was a defensive power, and that should continue through this season," said Scholhamer. "Our offense has been greatly strengthened this season by the addition of many talented first-year players."
The men gained 14 first-years: Fitzgerald, Barker, and McKinley on attack; John Menke, Dan Chaput, William Mauke on defense; and Eaton, Hurd, Nelson, William Patton, Alex Bender, Matt Neidlinger, Carl Klimpt, and Bryan Duggan as midfielders.
"We have a strong team this year with a great deal of young talent," said Scholhamer. "Hopefully we can come together as a team and contend for the league title."
Last season, the men's lacrosse team played in the semifinals of the NESCAC league tournament, beating Bates in the fist round before falling to national champion Middlebury. They ended their season with an impressive 11-4 record, led by top-scoring underclassmen Courtiss, Scholhamer, Stern, and Moreau, respectively.
This year, Scholhamer feels that his fellow co-captains "Fay and Jamie Nichols will certainly lead the way. They will be nicely accompanied by Courtiss and Stern, who have become offensive stars. We are also pleased to welcome newcomers Duggan and Fitzgerald to the team, who will [both] see a great deal of playing time this season."
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