Waterville, Maine - The rivalry between Colby and Bowdoin in field hockey has been dominated by the latter, but this year the 11th ranked Polar Bears found the Colby College Field Hockey team to be harder to put away than expected. Colby kept their highly ranked opponents in a back and forth game until a third goal saw the Mules fall 3-2, taking them to 4-9 on the season and 0-8 in the NESCAC. 

Both teams came out strong, a testament to the competitiveness between the two rivals. Colby found the back of the net first as Lillian Kistner found teammate Molly Mitchell six minutes after the whistle. But only three minutes later, the Polar Bears grabbed the equalizer and last point of the quarter. Bowdoin's momentum carried over into the second as they capitalized off a lengthy attack to take the lead. But this time around the Mules were the ones to quickly close the gap, tying the game up at 2 less than a minute later. Lillian Kistner and Lilly Conway combined to find Casey Winslow in on goal who converted for her sixth goal of the season. The score was 2-2 heading into the break.

Coming out of half Bowdoin went back in front. Goalie Emily Loeb faced 5 shots, saving four while one snuck by an outstretched limb to give the Polar Bears the edge. Colby's sole shot from Lilly Conway was saved to end the quarter as Bowdoin controlled the third. The Mules looked to claw back yet again but the fourth quarter didn't bear any fruit. Colby was pinned back in their own half, not registering a shot. On the defensive end, Loeb faced another three shots and kept them all out to keep the game alive. Although the game remained tight, the Mules came so close but couldn't force overtime; this became Colby's 5th game that they lost by two goals or less in NESCAC competition, showing their diligence in a conference of nationally ranked opponents.

This Tuesday, October 24th, Colby plays its final game of the season as they travel to Lewiston, Maine to take on in-state rivals Bates. The Bobcats are ranked 10th in the nation, but as seen in the game against Bowdoin, rankings don't matter in a NESCAC rivalry game.