BRUNSWICK, Maine - The Bowdoin and Amherst men's soccer teams, both NCAA Tournament participants in 2009, played to a scoreless draw in their season opener on Saturday at Pickard Field. The Jeffs ranked third in New England and 21st nationally heading into the contest while Bowdoin stood fifth in the New England poll.

Dan Hicks made five saves for the Polar Bears while Leonard Kovacs stopped nine for the Jeffs. Bowdoin held a 17-7 advantage in shots, including a 10-4 advantage in the second half and overtime, as Amherst was playing with ten men following Thebe Tsatsimpe's second yellow card late in the second half.

Hicks and Kovacs traded several nice saves in the late going, including a high save by Hicks off a header from Spencer Noon with 10 minutes to play in regulation. Kovacs responded with a diving stop off a header from Ben Denton-Schneider with seven minutes remaining. The best opportunity for either team in overtime came from Bowdoin's Tim Prior, who blasted a low shot that was smothered by Kovacs to preserve the tie.

Photos courtesy of Brian Beard and Creative Images Photography