Courtesy Tufts Sports Information

Box Score

MEDFORD, Mass. - Second-seeded Bowdoin team won its fifth NESCAC championship overall, and fourth in a row, with a 1-0 victory against Tufts in a defense-dominated final of the 2008 NESCAC Field Hockey Championship at Bello Field on Sunday afternoon.

The lone goal came after a Bowdoin penalty corner attempt late in the first half. Junior Kara Kelley (Dedham, Mass.) hit the corner and then joined the scrum in front of the Tufts net. She was perfectly positioned at the left post to push the ball into the cage when it squirted free with 4:14 on the clock. The tally was her second of the season.

The Polar Bears (15-2) gave Tufts (16-1) its first loss of the season. Bowdoin gains the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, where they will defend the national title that they won last fall. The Jumbos await an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. Tufts and Bowdoin were the first and second seeds in the NESCAC Tournament, respectively.

The Bowdoin defense shut down Tufts, which entered the game as the top scoring team in the conference. Likewise, Tufts did a good job containing Bowdoin. The Polar Bears finished with a 9-3 advantage in shots. The Jumbos posted a 5-3 edge in penalty corners. Goalkeepers in the game combined for just three saves.

The visitors controlled play in the first half, preventing Tufts from even attempting a shot. Polar Bear leading scorer Lindsay McNamara (Milton, Mass.) hit a post in the middle of the half, one of six Bowdoin shot attempts in the first 35 minutes.

Tufts had more possession in the second half, putting its lone shot on net from a difficult angle by senior tri-captain Marlee Kutcher (Chevy Chase, Md.). The Jumbos had all five of their corners in the second half. On their final corner, leading scorer Tamara Brown (Annandale, Va.) got her stick on a shot, but it deflected just wide.

Bowdoin split goaltending duties as they often do. Senior starter Emileigh Mercer (Newton, Mass.), though she did not see a shot, earned the win by virtue of Bowdoin’s goal in the first half. Sophomore Emily Neilson (Chatham, Pa.) came on for the second half, played among more pressure in front of the Bowdoin cage, and made one save to preserve the win. Tufts first-year Marianna Zak (Concord, Mass.) recorded two saves in the game.

Bowdoin’s senior class finishes 9-0 all-time in NESCAC Tournament play.

2008 NESCAC FIELD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals - Sunday, November 2 at Higher Seeds
at No. 1 Tufts 5, No. 8 Colby 1
at No. 2 Bowdoin 5, No. 7 Bates 2
at No. 3 Middlebury 2, No. 6 Williams 1
No. 5 Trinity 1, at No. 4 Amherst 0

Semifinals - Saturday, November 8 at Tufts
at No. 1 Tufts 1, No. 5 Trinity 0 - OT
No. 2 Bowdoin 4, vs. No. 3 Middlebury 0

Championship - Sunday, November 9 at Tufts
No. 2 Bowdoin 1, at No. 1 Tufts 0