BRUNSWICK, Maine — Host Bowdoin on Saturday remained undefeated and dealt the Middlebury College field hockey team its first loss, 2-1.
Polar Bear Rachel Kennedy converted a penalty stroke in the 67th minute of regulation to snap a 1-1 tie and give her team, ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division III, the NESCAC victory, over the Panthers, who entered the contest ranked No. 4. Middlebury was set to host No. 12 Skidmore on Wednesday night and will host Colby and RPI this weekend.
In the opening minutes, Bowdoin missed a penalty stroke. With just six seconds remaining before halftime, Kennedy finished off a feed from former Mount Mansfield Union standout Liz Znamierowski to give Bowdoin the lead.
The Panthers evened the game with 10:17 remaining in regulation on a corner. Annie Leonard stopped Jillian Green’s insert for the Panthers and rifled home a shot from the top of the circle for her fourth goal of the season.
Middlebury defended two corners in the final 10 minutes. Then Panther goalie Emily Miller (10 saves) denied a break-in chance from Nicole Barbieri, but Bowdoin was awarded a stroke on the play that Kennedy converted to give the Polar Bears the victory.
Bowdoin outshot Middlebury, 24-8. Polar Bear goalie Clara Belitz made three stops. Middlebury successfully defended 10 corners; Bowdoin defended 17.