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Volume CXXXII, Number 21 |
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Men's lax claws back to .500
ALLIE YANIKOSKI
STAFF WRITER
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| Grant White '04 has been a wall in the goal for Bowdoin. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient) |
With a minute and a half remaining in overtime, first-year midfielder Carl Klimpt hurled the little lacrosse ball into the Bates net, leading the Bowdoin men to a big 9-8 victory, improving its season record to 6-6.
Klimpt and first-year Connor Fitzgerald were the high scorers against Bates with two goals apiece. Fitzgerald also assisted on the game's opening goal, as senior co-captain Ted Scholhamer put Bowdoin on the scoreboard with less than three minutes gone in the first quarter. Fellow senior captain Micah Moreau followed Scholhamer's goal with one of his own to match two Bates goals.
The Bears ended the first quarter tied with Bates, but briefly pulled away from the Bobcats only to end the third quarter deadlocked at 6-6 after four first-year goals from Ford Barker, Chris Eaton, Klimpt, and Fitzgerald.
Shortly into the final quarter, Fitzgerald scored an unassisted goal, bringing Bowdoin into the lead. The Bears alternated goals with Bates for the last ten minutes, with Courtiss nabbing the last Bowdoin goal in regulation time.
As the offensive line battled for goals, junior goalkeeper Grant White successfully fended off 13 shots, while the Bates goalkeeper managed only seven saves.
Against Williams on Sunday, White again outperformed the rival goalkeeper, making 15 saves-compared to the opposing keeper's 14-in the 16-15 win over the Ephs. Against rival Williams, Bowdoin firmly controlled the game for the first 30 minutes, posting an 11-5 lead at halftime.
Williams made an admirable comeback in the third quarter with seven goals. Despite the scoring barrage, the Bears maintained their composure and edged the Ephs for the win by one goal.
Eaton, Klimpt, and first-year Ryan Hurd each scored once, while sophomore Phil Stern and junior Ford Gurall netted two goals each. Courtiss again led the attack on Williams with five goals followed by Fitzgerald who finished with three goals and an assist.
Thus far, Fitzgerald has posted 24 assists-seven more than any other player in the NESCAC. Behind senior Kyle Courtiss, Fitzgerald has the highest Bowdoin point tally of goals and assists.
Courtiss and Fitzgerald are also the sole representatives from Bowdoin to crack the top 20 in points in the NESCAC-they are ranked fifth and seventh, respectively.
After last weekend's competition against Williams and Middlebury, the NESCAC named Courtiss "Men's Lacrosse Co-Player of the Week" commending him for his seven-goal run against New England College last week, as well as for scoring 13 goals in last week's three games.
Last Saturday, Courtiss, Eaton, and Stern each scored once against Middlebury, the 2002 Division III national champions. Gurall and Scholhamer also netted two goals, and Fitzgerald again led Bowdoin in scoring with four goals and two assists.
Although Middlebury scored the first two goals of the game, the Bowdoin men fought to prevent the Panthers from pulling away. Middlebury dominated the first half 9-6; however, the Bears controlled the third quarter, closing the gap by two goals.
Middlebury rallied for three goals in the first ten minutes of the final quarter. Although Stern and Courtiss each scored, their effort was not enough for the Polar Bears. After a hard-fought 60 minutes of game time, the defending national champion squeaked by Bowdoin 11-13.
White again proved his talent in goal, blocking 16 shots, while the Middlebury goalkeeper made 14 saves.
With a 3-3 record in the NESCAC, Bowdoin ranks seventh out of the ten schools, ahead of Trinity, Bates, and Colby. This Saturday, the Bears will travel to Amherst for their third-to-last game of the season.
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