BRUNSWICK, Maine - Bowdoin College scored a pair of goal in each half en-route to a 4-0 victory over Mount Holyoke College in NCAA Tournament Second Round action on Saturday at Ryan Field. With the win, the third-ranked Polar Bears move to 17-2 overall, while the 13th-ranked Lyons conclude their outstanding season with a 17-4 mark.
Bowdoin, the defending national champion, will now play in the Elite Eight on Sunday, facing off against the winner of Saturday's Skidmore versus FDU-Florham match at 1pm.
The Polar Bears struck early to open the contest as senior midfielder Colleen Finnerty connected off a stop at the top of the arc by junior defender Kim Kahnweiler off the corner just 1:54 in. Finnerty sent a blistering shot through traffice in the circle to put the home team up by a 1-0 margin. Sophomore forward Kimmy Ganong also earned an assist after perfectly injecting the ball to the top.
It would be Ganong to make it a 2-0 game for the Polar Bears in the 30th minute after she connected on a pass from junior forward Rachel Kennedy.
The Lyons could not break through the Bowdoin defense in the opening half as sophomore goalie Liz DiCesare made seven stops through the opening 35 minutes.
In the second half, Mount Holyoke saw its best pressure of the game come in the early stages as the Lyons threatened down low. First year defender Kaitlin Braz was able to cut the gap and get a shot in on senior goalie Hannah Gartner, but the Bowdoin keeper made the stop as her defense cleared it out.
Bowdoin added to its advantage in the 55th minute as Kennedy banked in shot near the left post past the reach of DiCesare. Junior forward Liz Znamierowski was credited with the assist after firing the ball in from the top of the arc.
Senior foward Adrienne O'Donnell closed out the scoring for the Polar Bears less than 10 minutes later after she corralled a pass from sophomore midfielder Mettler Growney. Facing traffice in front and a determined Lyons keeper, O'Donnell was able to squeeze it in to make it a 4-0 advantage.
Mount Holyoke tried to pressure late, but were unable to maintain control of the ball as the Bowdoin defense clamped down to ensure the victory.
For the Polar Bears, Gartner earned the win, stopping one shot. DiCesare shouldered the loss for Mount Holyoke, making nine saves in the contest. Bowdoin held a 21-2 advantage in shots and a 10-0 edge in penalty corners.
NOTES: This was Mount Holyoke's fourth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and second straight. The Lyons advanced to the Sweet 16 round for the second consecutive season. Senior midfielder Kirsten Kilburn finishes her Mount Holyoke career as the program's all-time leader in assists (54) and points (178).
Photo courtesy of Brian Beard.
