The Polar Bears, ranked second in the NFHCA Division III preseason poll, extended their winning streak at Ryan Field to 24 straight games dating back to 2009.
Bowdoin controlled much of the play of the first half, earning three penalty corners in the first 10 minutes, but Wesleyan goalie Tori Redding was equal to the task and stood tall in net for the Cardinals to keep the score deadlocked.
The Polar Bears scored again on another corner opportunity with 9:02 remaining in the half. Riley fed the insert to Kassey Matoin, who set the ball for Phinney
The Cardinals rallied in the latter minutes of the first half to close the gap before intermission. A deflected shot off a Wesleyan penalty corner skittered around the front of the net. Bowdoin goalie Kayla Lessard came out to play it, but Cardinals forward Alyssa Murray tapped it to teammate Taryn Murray to get the visitors on the board.
Bowdoin’s Rachel Kennedy broke through with the lone goal of the second half and the first of her career at 18:37, putting home a loose ball off of another penalty corner.
Redding made 12 stops for Wesleyan, while Lessard earned four in the win for the Polar Bears. Bowdoin owned the advantage in both penalty corners (10-3) and shots (21-5).
The Polar Bears will play at Husson University on Wednesday night (7 p.m.).
Women’s soccer
Freshman Maggie Godley’s first career goal was the difference as the Polar Bears held off Wesleyan for a 1-0 victory Saturday at Pickard Field.
The Polar Bears improved to 2-0 (1-0 NESCAC) for the first time since the 2007 campaign.
The game-winning strike came in the 30th minute as Molly Popolizio beat a Wesleyan defender on the right wing. Popolizio served a pass into the box, where Godley stretched to get a toe on it, tapping the ball inside the right post at 29:51.
Goaltenders Louise Johnson (two saves in first half) and Bridget McCarthy (five saves in second half) shared the shutout victory.
Bowdoin finished with a 15- 11 advantage in shots and 7-6 edge in corners.
The Polar Bears return to action on Wednesday afternoon at home against rival Bates College at 4:30 p.m.
Men’s soccer
Wesleyan scored a pair of first-half goals to take a 2-0 win over Bowdoin on Saturday afternoon.
The Cardinals, ranked fourth in the latest New England Division III poll, won their opener, while the Polar Bears opened with the setback and visit the University of Southern Maine today at 4 p.m.
Daniel Issroff had a hand in both of Wesleyan’s markers. A bouncing ball at the top of the box came to the foot of the the sophomore midfielder, who blasted a shot that deflected high off a Bowdoin defender and soared over the leaping hands of Bowdoin goaltender Will Wise at 21:04.
Nearly seven minutes later, Issroff played a corner kick into the box, where Spencer Tanaka footed a volley into the net to double the lead.
Bowdoin rallied in the second half, earning a 4-1 advantage in corners and 7-5 edge in shots.
Adam Purdy made three saves for Wesleyan, which held a 17-12 edge in shots overall. Wise finished with four saves for the Polar Bears.
Volleyball
Bowdoin completed a clean sweep of matches at the 2012 Endicott Invitational on Saturday, earning two more victories to finish as the only unbeaten team at the tournament.
En route, the Polar Bears (4-0) defeated the host Gulls, 3- 1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-14, 25-15) and earned a measure of revenge against one of the two teams they lost to in 2011, UMass Boston, 3-1 (25-16, 20-25, 25-16, 25-19).
Melissa Haskell continued her scalding play in the opener against Endicott, notching 18 kills with 16 digs and eight aces. Christy Jewett had 10 kills and four blocks while Sophia Cornew dealt 46 assists. Taylor Vail notched a team-best 25 digs to go with four aces.
In the battle with UMass Boston, Hillary Cederna was nearly unstoppable, connecting for 18 kills against just three errors to go with 18 digs and three aces. Haskell (12 kills, 12 digs) and Jewett (11 kills) also saw double figures in kills while Cornew had 45 more assists to spark the offense.
The Polar Bears will return to action Tuesday night in their home opener at 7 p.m. against the University of New England.
On Friday, Bowdoin cruised to a pair of season-opening wins at the Endicott College Invitational.
The Polar Bears defeated Gallaudet in their opener, 3-1 (25-17, 21-25, 25-20, 25-15) before sweeping Plymouth State University, 3-0 (25-22, 25- 18, 25-8).
Against Gallaudet, Haskell was dominant, carding 12 kills, six aces and 16 digs in the victory. Jewett burst onto the scene with a 12-kill effort in her collegiate debut. Cornew dished out 33 assists, while Vail notched a teambest 28 dig.
In the win against Plymouth, Ellie Brennan had 10 kills, while Jewett pitched in nine. Cornew had 26 assists and four aces to seal the win.
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