Bowdoin College sophomores Elizabeth Clegg, Caroline McNamara, and Celeste Albright scored three goals apiece as the Polar Bears went on to defeat the USM Huskies 21-9 in non-conference DIII women’s lacrosse action Wednesday night at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.
It was a lopsided battle as Bowdoin used a ten-goal run early in the first half to fuel a victory over USM. The Huskies are one game removed from a three-game winning streak that was snapped last week against Castleton State.
The first goal came within the first two minutes, and the momentum was in Bowdoin’s favor for the majority of the first half as it sparked a ten to nothing run on the Huskies. With seven minutes to go in the first, USM junior Mary Vaughan (Brunswick) got USM on the board with her first of three goals on the night. Vaughan intercepted a pass from the Bowdoin defense around midfield and was able to elude two defenders and work her way inside to find the top corner of the net. Looking to gain some momentum, the Huskies got one more chance off another Polar Bear turnover minutes later, but the ensuing shot was tipped before it reached the net. Bowdoin then marched directly back down the field to score their 11th goal of the game.
To start the second half the two teams traded goals back and forth over the first twenty minutes. Another 5-1 run by the Bears over the last eight minutes of the game widened the gap to twelve goals and dampened the Huskies spirits, enough so that a comeback would not have been possible.
The scoring for Southern Maine came from Vaughn as well as rookie Shelby Turcotte (Lewiston) who added two, and junior Kristy Kendrick (Waterboro) had a goal and an assist of her own.
The Huskies head to the University of New England on Saturday at noon for their seventh game of the season as they try to get above the .500 mark.