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Volume CXXXIII, Number 9 |
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Broken records and winning streaks: Field hockey ends with fire
HEATHER MACNEIL
STAFF WRITER
Bowdoin's field hockey team ended its season on a high note this week when the New England Small College Athletic Conference announced its annual league honors.
The Polar Bears raked up the awards, earning Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, and first-and second-team all NESCAC honors. This announcement came after a devastating loss to Williams in the semi-finals of the NESCAC tournament.
In the first round of the tournament the Polar Bears toppled Tufts, bringing home a 6-0 victory for their eighth shutout of the season. The Jumbos did not stand a chance against Bowdoin; Colleen McDonald '05 scored for the Bears just three minutes into the game. Abby Daley '06, Amanda Burrage '04, Britney Carr '04, Gessy LePage '07, and Marissa O'Neil '05 all added points onto the scoreboard, and O'Neil tied Bowdoin's single-season scoring record in doing so. Both Gillian McDonald '04 and Kate Leonard '07 were unchallenged in goal.
After the victory against Tufts, the Polar Bears faced Williams in the second round of the tournament. Williams came out strong and scored three quick goals in the first half, but O'Neil found the back of the net with just four minutes to go in the half which helped to boost the Bears' confidence.
O'Neil scored again early in the second half to close Williams lead, but they quickly retaliated, making it 5-2. Bowdoin did not give up, however, and O'Neil scored her third goal of the game, setting yet another record for most goals scored in a tournament game. Christi Gannon '06 scored one for the Bears with four minutes left in the game, and it closed out at a 5-4 loss.
Daley commented, "If there was anything positive to take away from our loss it was the fact that we never gave up. Coming back from a three goal deficit is extremely difficult, but we maintained our poise and determination and that speaks really highly for our team."
O'Neil agreed, "Williams is a really talented team, and we couldn't catch any breaks during that game. What we are proud of is how we came back and how well we played as a team all season."
Even though Bowdoin's emotional loss to Williams was a disappointing end to a great season, sweeping the NESCAC awards served as a reminder of just how great the Polar Bears' season was.
O'Neil continued her domination and was named NESCAC player of the year. On top of that honor, O'Neil was named first-team all-NESCAC, as she tied the school record for goals in one season with 19, broke the record for assists in a season with 17, broke the record for points in a season with 55, and tied the career goals record with 39.
"I was most excited to see all my teammates being honored right along with me," O'Neil said. "Playing with them in games and against them in practice made me the player I am."
Burrage and McDonald were also named first-team all-NESCAC, while Carr was named second-team with Taryn King '07. McDonald has done her own damage in Bowdoin's record books, as she holds the goalkeeping records for career wins at 48, career shutouts at 30, single-season goals against average at 0.44, and minutes played at 4,097.
King was named NESCAC rookie of the year, and Nikki Pearson Coach of the Year. Overall, it was an impressive season for the Polar Bears. McDonald reflected, "This was my favorite season at Bowdoin. The team really came together and was very unselfish. We all worked really hard in practice and pushed everyone to be the best players they could be." Clearly, it worked.
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