Bowdoin and Tufts Play to Scoreless Draw in Women's Soccer Quarterfinals; Polar Bears Advance
Courtesy Tufts Sports Information
SOMERVILLE, Mass. - After 110 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Bowdoin College Polar Bears advanced past the Tufts University Jumbos into the semifinals of the 2008 NESCAC Women's Soccer Championship by winning 4-2 in penalty kicks on Sunday afternoon at Kraft Field. Bowdoin was the fifth seed and Tufts was seeded fourth.
The Jumbos controlled most of the
match, as they out-shot the Polar Bears 24-8 on the day including
15 shots on goal. Bowdoin senior keeper Kelly Thomas (West
Hartford, Conn.) came up big as she recorded 15 saves and also
stopped a shot in the shootout.
Tufts also had more chances via the corner kick, as they had 11
attempts to Bowdoin's five in the match. When the Polar Bears put
the pressure on, Jumbo sophomore keeper Hannah Jacobs (Mill Valley,
Calif.) was able to record four saves in 110 minutes of action for
a shutout.
The penalty kicks portion of overtime started off well for the
Jumbos, as the first Bowdoin attempt by senior Lynne Tempest
(Mercer Island, Wash.) glanced off the right post and out of the
net. Sophomore Sarah Nolet (Los Altos, Calif.) was then able to
deposit her shot into the right corner for a 1-0 Tufts shootout
lead.
The Polar Bears evened things up in the second frame on a goal by
first-year Celeste Swain (Berkeley, Calif.) and Thomas followed up
with a save on Tufts sophomore Geneva DeGregorio's (Whatley, Mass.)
attempt. The two teams traded goals in the third frame, and it was
2-2 after three shots each.
Bowdoin's Ellery Gould (East Sandwich, Mass.), the team-leader in
goals during the season with eight, gave Bowdoin a 3-2 advantage
when she lifted one shoulder-high and to the right of the keeper
Jacobs. Junior Ali Maxwell (Exeter, N.H.) tried to go high on her
attempt for Tufts, but sent it over the crossbar. With the chance
to advance Bowdoin onto the semi-finals, sophomore Christina Aceto
(South Portland, Maine) kept her shot on the ground and it rolled
into the right corner for the 4-2 win in penalty kicks.
The Polar Bears (7-4-4) move on to face No. 1 overall seed Williams
next Saturday at 11:00 a.m. The Jumbos ended their 2008 season with
a 8-5-1 mark.
