Courtesy Middlebury Athletic Communications

Box Score

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Mike Vitulano scored 42 seconds into overtime to lift Wesleyan to a 16-15 win over Bowdoin. Vitulano took a nice feed from behind the net from Glenn Adams and converted driving to the goal. The win for the Cardinals sets up the third straight meeting between Middlebury and Wesleyan in a NESCAC Championship game, which is slated for noon on Sunday. The two teams combined to break the NESCAC Tournament record for goals in a game (31).

Bowdoin built a 4-0 advantage in the first quarter as Wesleyan finally got on the board with 2:43 remaining on a goal from Mike Hines. Bowdoin’s Matt Chadwick ended the first quarter scoring with his second goal of the game at the 1:07 mark to give the Polar Bears a 5-1 lead.

Wesleyan cut the lead to 5-3 early in the second quarter scoring consecutive man-up goals. By the 5:45 mark, the Polar Bears had scored four in a row, two by Andy Nelson, to extend their lead 9-3. The Cardinals answered, tallying two more including another man-up score, this one by Vitulano, to cut the lead to 9-5. Bowdoin scored another goal with 2:46 left to double-up the Cardinals 10-5. Just as the half ended, a 40-yard shot by Wesleyan’s Peter Harris would slip past Bowdoin goalie Charlie Legg to trim the lead to 10-6 for the Polar Bears.

In the third, Bowdoin built their lead back to five when Kevin Mullins scored at the 12:46 mark. Wesleyan rattled off three goals in the next two minutes, cutting the lead to 11-9. The Polar Bears answered with a pair of man-up scores of their own, regaining a four-goal advantage, 13-9. With just over one minute in the third, Adams scored his second of the game, cutting the lead to 13-10.

The fourth quarter saw the Cardinals score two more goals, cutting the Polar Bear lead to just one, 13-12 with 13:13 left in regulation. Bowdoin once again answered the Wesleyan run by netting a man-down goal less than one minute later giving them a two goal lead, 14-12. With 8:31 left in the game, Wesleyan tied it at 14 apiece and took their first lead just 15 seconds later when Funt scored off a feed from Russell Follansbee. Trailing 15-14, Bowdoin netted the equalizer at 6:33 in the fourth as Andy Nelson scored his third goal of the game which forced the game into overtime.

Adams had a big day for Wesleyan scoring four goals and assisting on five others. Funt scored two for Wesleyan as Follansbee and Vitulano each netted two apiece. Nelson and Chadwick led Bowdoin with three goals each as four other Polar Bears chipped in two tallies, while Tom McKinley led the team with four assists.