MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Bowdoin College men's lacrosse team bowed out of the NESCAC Tournament on Saturday afternoon, falling to Middlebury 17-9 in the conference semifinals.
The Polar Bears fall to 11-5 on the season and will await word on a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when selections are announced on Sunday evening. The Panthers (10-7) advance to play Wesleyan for the NESCAC crown on Sunday.
Game Highlights
- With Bowdoin holding an early 2-1 lead on goals from Jason Lach and Kevin Sandor, Middlebury rolled off an 8-1 run, taking command of the contest and grabbing a 9-3 lead late in the opening half.
- The Polar Bears got late goals from Matt Ward and Will Byrne before halftime to trim the lead to 9-5 at the break.
- Byrne and Ward scored again out of intermission as the Polar Bears seemed poised to make a run, trailing just 9-7 with 7:18 left in the third.
- But Middlebury answered with another 8-1 surge, including four straight to start the fourth quarter and push their lead to as many as nine goals in the final period.
By The Numbers
- Matt Ward paced Bowdoin with three goals and an assist while Will Byrne had two goals and two assists.
- The Polar Bears struggled to get their offense on track, as they committed 12 turnovers to just 8 for Middlebury and only 21 of their 38 shots were on goal.
- Ethan Barnard won 17 of 29 faceoffs for the Polar Bears.
- Robert Hobbs made 14 saves in the loss.
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