Bowdoin men’s lacrosse tops Stevens, advances to NCAA quarterfinals

Bowdoin kept its postseason run alive in a way that matters well beyond one game: the Polar Bears beat Stevens 17-14 at Whittier Field and now bring another NCAA Division III quarterfinal weekend to Brunswick. The win moved Bowdoin into the quarterfinals for the fourth time in the last five years, a stretch that has made the program one of the most visible spring teams on campus and a steady source of national attention for the town.

The game was tighter than the final score suggested. Bowdoin never trailed, but Stevens repeatedly answered after early deficits and forced the Polar Bears to stay composed when the margin narrowed late in the third quarter. Bowdoin athletics said the game featured 12 penalties, the most in one Bowdoin game this season, a sign of how physical and unsettled the third-round matchup became before Bowdoin settled back into cleaner execution in the fourth quarter.

Senior midfielder Sam Raye-Steiner supplied the kind of playoff performance that can keep a season moving. He scored four goals, including the go-ahead goal in the second half. Casey Ryan added four goals and four assists, Hudson Greene finished with three goals and one assist, and Chris Berry contributed two goals and two assists. Alec Delgado made 15 saves to help Bowdoin withstand Stevens’ push, while Nico Schermer, Ryan Winters and Huck Trafton also scored.

The numbers show how Bowdoin controlled enough of the game to survive. The Polar Bears outshot Stevens 53-40 and held a 30-29 edge in shots on goal. Stevens closed its season at 18-3, tying its school record for wins, and had already claimed its sixth consecutive MAC Freedom championship before reaching Brunswick.

Now Bowdoin turns to a quarterfinal matchup with Hope College on Friday, May 15, at 4 p.m. at Whittier Field. Hope enters at 20-0 and is making the first NCAA quarterfinal appearance in program history. The winner advances to the national semifinals on Saturday, May 16, also in Brunswick. For Bowdoin, the stakes are bigger than one more playoff game: the program is again playing for a place among Division III’s elite, and Brunswick gets the spotlight that comes with it.