BRUNSWICK, Maine - The top-seeded Bowdoin College field hockey team scored a pair of goals in the final 17 minutes to take a 2-0 win over Trinity in the semifinals of the NESCAC Tournament on Saturday at Ryan Field.

The Polar Bears remain unbeaten this season at 16-0 and will play in the title match for the seventh time in the last eight years and eighth time overall. At 11-5, fifth-seeded Trinity will hope for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when pairings are announced on Monday.

Bowdoin owned the possession, holding a 30-0 edge in shots and 18-0 edge in penalty corners, but couldn't find the back of the net until midway through the second period. After Trinity's first sustained possession of the game in Bowdoin territory, the Polar Bears responded with a push downfield. Katie Herter controlled the ball on the left wing and centered it to Cathleen Smith, who slapped the feed inside the right post with 16:50 remaining.

Herter doubled Bowdoin's nine minutes later, knocking home a rebound off an Ella Curren slapshot with 5:42 left.

Gina Dinallo kept the Bantams in the contest, stopping 14 shots in the setback. Kayla Lessard was not forced to make a save in the victory, Bowdoin's ninth shutout of the year.

Bowdoin, the defending NESCAC champions, will look to win their seventh NESCAC title on Sunday against the winner of the Middlebury-Amherst semifinal winner. Match time is set for 12:00 p.m. Sunday. The Polar Bears entered the weekend as the top-ranked team in the latest NFHCA Division III poll. Trinity stood 14th overall in the rankings.

Middlebury 2, Amherst 1 (OT)
BRUNSWICK, Maine - Middlebury's Lauren Greer scored the game-winning goal on an overtime penalty stroke to lift the third-seeded Panthers over second-seeded Amherst 2-1 in the NESCAC Field Hockey semifinals Saturday at Bowdoin College.

Greer's game-winner capped an exciting overtime period that saw the Panthers garner most of the chances. Middlebury's Elinore O'Brien drew Amherst netminder Rachel Tannenbaum out of the net and put a low shot on goal that hit the foot of an Amherst defender. Greer stepped to the ball and buried the ensuing penalty stroke to the top right corner of the net to boost the Panthers into the Sunday's Championship match.

Middlebury (14-2) advances to the NESCAC title match for the fifth time and will be looking for their second conference crown Sunday against top-seeded Bowdoin at noon. Amherst (13-3) will likely receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when pairings are announced on Monday.

Amherst jumped out to an early lead just 4:59 into the contest when the ball deflected off the body of a Middlebury defender on the goal line and resulted in a penalty stroke. Carly Dudzik ripped the shot to the upper left half of the net to put the Jeffs on top, 1-0. Middlebury responded before intermission when Catherine Fowler controlled a rebound in close and lifted the ball over a diving Tannenbuam at 24:50.

Middlebury generated a number of quality scoring opportunities on seven second half penalty corners. Tannenbaum made solid saves on successive shots late in the period and Greer hit a post as the game remained deadlocked at the end of regulation. 

The Panthers held the advantage in both penalty corners (13-7) and shots (22-11). Tannenbaum made 10 saves to keep the Jeffs in the contest. Becca Shaw made four stops an allowed zero goals in the win for the Panthers. Middlebury goaltender Madeline Brooks came in to face Amherst's penalty stroke and finished with one goal against.

MIDDLEBURY-AMHERST BOX SCORE

Photos courtesy of Brian Beard and Creative Images Photography