NEW LONDON, Conn. - Patrick Lawlor scored a pair of goals and Chris Williamson made ten saves to lead the Bowdoin College men's lacrosse team to a 7-5 win over Connecticut College in its season debut on Saturday afternoon.

The Polar Bears (1-0) dominated the time of possession and held a 47-25 advantage in shots, but the Camels (0-1) stayed within striking distance thanks to 27 saves from goaltender Rob Moccia.

Griffin Cardew chipped in with a goal and two assists, while senior Brendan Hughes keyed the possession game by winning 10-of-15 faceoffs and collecting five ground balls for the Polar Bears. Connecticut College midfielder John Lyons finished with two goals and one assist.

The Polar Bears netted a pair of goals in a 55 second span of the second period, taking a 4-1 lead when Dan Hanley buried a one-timer on a feed from Cardew with 4:35 remaining in the opening half. But the Camels ended the half with a flurry, scoring twice with under 3:30 to play to trim the Bowdoin lead to 4-3 at intermission.

The hosts pulled even when Lyons elevated for a shot from the top of the box with 9:43 remaining in the third quarter. But the Polar Bears scored the next two goals, first from Lawlor at 6:15 and then capped the period with an extra man score from Billy Bergner with 30 seconds left to carry a 6-4 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Camels pulled to within a goal when Chad Sawyer scored 1:54 into the fourth quarter. But Bowdoin held possession for most of the rest of the way and Franklin Reis added an insurance marker with 8:32 remaining to close out the scoring.

In addition to holding a sizable shot advantage, Bowdoin grabbed 35 ground balls to 25 for Conn. College and were nearly perfect (17-18) in clears on the afternoon. Lawlor and Keegan Mehlhorn corralled a game-high six ground balls apiece for the Polar Bears.

Bowdoin will return to action on Wednesday in Florida, when they take on Nazareth at 2:00 p.m. in Clermont.