BOX SCORE

BRUNSWICK, Maine - Jessie Small scored the game's only goa as the 14th-ranked Bowdoin College field hockey team earned a key NESCAC win over Williams College on Saturday. The Polar Bears improve to 9-3 (4-3 NESCAC) while the Ephs fall to 5-5 (5-1 NESCAC).

A back-and-forth first half saw the Polar Bears and Ephs trade good chances, the best of which came from Bowdoin with six minutes left in the opening stanza. A drive down the left sideline by Elizabeth Clegg set up a well-placed centering pass to McKenna Teague, who had the ball bounce just over her stick to keep the game scoreless heading into the second period.

Early in the second half, Bowdoin's Shannon Malloy played a ball into the circle where it was caught amongst traffic. Small got a piece of the bouncing ball and lifted it over Williams netminder Katrina Tulla for the game-winning score. Bowdoin's Emily Neilson made a great diving stop on Williams' Anne De saint Phalle to maintain Bowdoin's advantage with four minutes to go. Ingrid Oelschlager and Shavonne Lord's nifty stick-work killed off the final 2:30 in the corners to seal the win.

Neilson stopped two shots for Bowdoin in the shutout while Tulla made nine between the pipes for Williams. Bowdoin out-shot the Ephs 17-4 and held a 17-2 advantage in corners. The Polar Bears have won eight of their last nine matches against the Ephs dating back to 2004.

Photos courtesy of Brian Beard and Creative Images Photography.