BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Bowdoin College men's lacrosse team grabbed an early lead and never trailed on their way to a 14-10 win over Wesleyan in a battle of nationally-ranked teams on Saturday at Whittier Field. The sixth-ranked Polar Bears improve to 12-1 (8-1 NESCAC) while the seventh-ranked Cardinals fall to 9-4 (6-3 NESCAC).
 
Game Highlights

• Bowdoin jumped to an early 4-1 lead, including a pair of goals by Sam Raye-Steiner and Casey Ryan in a 20-second span just five minutes into the contest.
• Wesleyan cut the lead to 5-3 after one quarter of play and the teams traded goals in the second period as Bowdoin carried a 7-4 edge into halftime.
• The Polar Bears took control early in the second half as seniors Avery Kirby, Jason Lach, and Patrick Fitzgerald all notched goals to extend Bowdoin's lead to 10-4.
• Bowdoin led 11-6 entering the fourth period and put the game away with goals from Fitzgerald and Kirby to start the fourth stanza, building their lead to 13-6 with 12:52 to go.
• Wesleyan scored four of the game's final five goals, including two in the final minute, to close the final score to 14-10.

By The Numbers

• Patrick Fitzgerald finished with four goals and an assist while Casey Ryan had a goal and five assists to lead Bowdoin in scoring.
• Jason Lach had three scores while Avery Kirby and Sam Raye-Steiner added two each.
• Jed Hoggard had a game-high five caused turnovers and six ground balls to lead the Polar Bears defensively.
• Robert Hobbs made 14 saves in the victory for Bowdoin.

Up Next

• Bowdoin will host Tufts at Whittier Field on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. The winner will earn the top seed for the upcoming NESCAC Tournament which begins with quarterfinal games on Saturday, April 26.