Bowdoin Advances Past Tufts in Semifinals of Women's Soccer Championship
Courtesy Williams Sports Information
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - When Bowdoin and Tufts met in the regular season Medford, Mass., the Polar Bears struggled to generate offense and the Jumbos posted a 4-1 win. The Bowdoin tally came via a Tufts' own goal. Today on Cole Field at Williams College Bowdoin came out and asserted itself in the opening 10 minutes of play but still had to fight back from an early a 1-0 deficit to force overtime and a shootout to advance to tomorrow's NESCAC Women's Soccer Championship game vs. host Williams at 12:00 p.m.
This time Tufts had just a plus two margin in shots, 13-11, over Bowdoin.
Tufts notched the first goal of the contest at 13:27 moments after the Jumbos had cleaned up a loose corner kick by Bowdoin. The Jumbo's Fanna Gamal streaked into the left side of the box and crossed a beautiful ball to the far post where Cara Cadigan elevated and headed the ball down just under the left hand of Bowdoin goalie Katherine Popoff.
Bowdoin responded by turning up the pressure on offense and managed to set up six corner opportunities to none for the Jumbos in the opening half, but the Polar bears were unable to net a goal. Tufts took a 1-0 lead into the break.
Bowdoin climbed right back into the game just over six minutes into the second half when after a blistering shot by Ann Zeigler from the left of Tufts' goalie Kate Minnehan resulted in a wild scramble in front of the goal. Several players on both teams got a piece of the ball and eventually the ball trickled to the right foot of Molly Duffy who tucked it inside the right post to tie the score at one at 51:10.
Bowdoin came knocking again at 67:04 when Zeigler was led into the box on the left, but her left-footed blast went up over the crossbar. Tufts appeared to be ready to take the lead at 77:34 when a Bowdoin player somehow got a foot on a Tufts shot at the goal line and deflected the ball back out of the box. Tufts' Cara Cadigan went into the left side of the box with a defender on her at 82:06 and fired a low shot back across the goal that Katherine Popoff was able to dive and corral.
The first overtime session was uneventful and neither team could muster a shot. In the second overtime stanza an alert Kate Minnehan was able to dive and prevent a looming own goal just 16 seconds in.
The Jumbos again sent Cadigan through the backline with a pretty pass, but Popoff was just able to get there in time to smother the chance at 95:51. Bowdoin tested Kate Minnehan at 98:38 when Dana Riker crossed the ball to Christina Aceto who one-timed a hard shot on goal that Minnehan controlled.
Bowdoin's Katherine Popoff was called on to make one last save in the OT. Off a crossed ball Popoff came off her line and deflected a blast from the top of the box off her upper body to a defender who managed a booming clear.
Bowdoin prevailed 4-2 in the PK shootout with Katherine Popoff making one save, a Tufts player hitting the post and all four Polar Bears converting.
On the day Bowdoin's Popoff made 7 saves and Tufts' Minnehan made 8 saves.
"We prepared a little better for Tufts today than we did in the regular season," said Bowdoin head coach Maren Rojas. "I think the focus, concentration and intensity we showed all week and the enthusiasm we brought today showed we are committed to the hard work necessary to reach our team goals."
With the tie both teams now have identical 12-3-1 records.
PK Shootout
Bowdoin - Ann Zeigler - Good
Tufts - Joelle Emery - Good
Bowdoin - Dana Riker - Good
Tufts - Fanna Gamal - stopped by Popoff
Bowdoin - Lynne Tempest -- Good
Tufts - Geneva DeGregorio - Good
Bowdoin - Katherine Whitley - Good
Tufts - Rebecca Abbott - off left post
