BRUNSWICK, Me. – With just one goal separating the two sides at halftime, Bowdoin outscored the Wesleyan men's lacrosse team 5-1 in the third quarter to defeat the Cardinals, 14-8, on Saturday afternoon at Whittier Field. Wesleyan (5-2, 2-1 NESCAC) falls for the first time in conference play while the Polar Bears (5-2, 2-2 NESCAC) earn a much-needed league win.
 
Bowdoin looked to be in complete control early, as Patrick Fitzgerald scored three goals in the first quarter to give the hosts a 5-2 edge at the end of one. Wesleyan stayed within striking distance and used a four-goal second quarter to lower the deficit to just one at the halftime break.
 
The Polar Bears took complete command in the opening moments of the second half, however, scoring three goals in the first 51 seconds of the third quarter. Goals from Will Byrne, Ethan Barnard and Fitzgerald again pushed the lead quickly to 10-6. Bowdoin's lead stretched to five goals by the end of the third and Wesleyan would get no closer for the remainder of play.
 
Wesleyan managed to outshoot the Polar Bears 38-35 but committed 23 turnovers while Bowdoin's goalkeeper Robert Hobbs saved eight of the 16 shots the Cardinals fired on-goal in the contest. The Cardinals also struggled throughout on the man-up, going just 1-for-6 in those opportunities, and Wesleyan lost the face off battle (14-12).
 
DJ Dixon '24 led the Wesleyan offense with three goals while Matt Gill '23 (one goal, two assists) and Alex Moynihan '24 (two goals, one assist) also totaled three points. Nolan Collins '23 racked up three ground balls and one caused turnover while Charlie Silver '25 forced two Bowdoin turnovers to lead the Cardinal defense.
 
The Cardinals have a full week to prepare for their next matchup, a home game against Hamilton on Saturday, April 1 at 1:00 PM.