PLYMOUTH – After winning five-straight games, including three Little East matchups, the Plymouth State Women’s Lacrosse Team stepped onto Arold Field last Saturday to defend their turf. Unfortunately for the Panthers, their home opener with Bowdoin ended bitterly, as the Polar Bears handed Plymouth State a 15-7 loss.
Senior Bethany Brown’s three goals and junior Kelsey MacDonald’s two, combined with goals from junior classmates Meg Cupoli and Annie Pinault couldn’t save the Panthers from Bowdoin’s 15-goal onslaught. Sophomore Bobbi Dennison scored four goals to help improve fifth-ranked Bowdoin to 8-2, while the Plymouth State loses their first game since Spring Break to fall to 5-4.
After quickly scoring three goals to start off the game, Bowdoin established a lead from which they’d never look back. The Panthers closed the gap to 5-4 in the middle of the first half, but the Polar Bears made certain it wouldn’t stay close. Bowdoin went on to score twice more before the end of the half, giving the Polar Bears a 7-4 advantage.
Bowdoin put up two more goals to open the second before Plymouth tacked on their fifth with twenty-six minutes remaining, cutting the lead to 9-5. From there it was all Bowdoin, as the Polar Bears notched five-straight goals en route to shutting down the Panthers for good.
Goaltenders Sarah Beebe and Lindsay DeLorie contributed in net with 14 saves for Plymouth, while Steph Collins-Finn and Kat Popoff combined for 11 on Bowdoin’s side. The victory snaps a two-game setback for the nationally-ranked Polar Bears, while the Panthers see the end of their five-game winning streak.
After a loss to seventh-ranked Colby on Sunday, Plymuth State stands at 5-5 overall, while maintaining a perfect record against the Little East. The Panthers took on conference-rival Keene State Thursday night, and will return to the road for a conference-showdown with Rhode Island College Saturday at 1:00 p.m.