NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College field hockey team dropped a 5-3 decision to Bowdoin College on Saturday afternoon in NESCAC play at Silfen Field.

The Camels held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the first half, but the Polar Bears outscored their hosts 3-1 in the second to secure victory. Five different players found the back of the cage for Bowdoin, which evened its record at 2-2 overall (1-1 NESCAC). Hannah Balmelli supplied the game-winning tally late in the third quarter, and goalie Lauren O'Donald made three of her four saves in the final period to protect the lead.

Elizabeth Bonner (Westfield, N.J.), Rowan Galanis (Ipswich, Mass.) and Bridget McGann (West Hartford, Conn.) all notched goals for the Camels. Bea Talbott (St. Louis, Mo.) made her first career start in goal and recorded five saves in the first half, and Liz Winemaster (Lake Forest, Ill.) made one stop in the second.   

The Camels got on the scoreboard just a little over five minutes into the contest when Bonner out-muscled a Bowdoin defender for a ball at the top of the shooting circle. The rookie forward dribbled in 10 feet and then slipped a shot past O'Donald for her first collegiate goal.

Bowdoin tied the score at 1-1 just three minutes later off a penalty corner. After Talbott made a save on the initial shot attempt, Mackay Bommer tucked the rebound inside the left post to even things up.

Conn cashed in on a penalty corner of its own with 5:52 remaining in the opening quarter. Hannah Webster (Attleboro, Mass.) took a shot that was blocked by a defender, but the loose ball ended up on the stick of Galanis for a backhanded flick. The goal, her first of the season, gave the Camels a 2-1 advantage.

The Polar Bears capped a frenetic first period with a tally by Maya Malenfant with 2:32 to go. The goal would be the last of the half, as the two sides went into the intermission tied at 2-2.

Bowdoin took its first lead less than three minutes into the second half, when Andrea DiTeodoro scored through traffic on a penalty corner. Moments later, Conn fired back to tie the game at 3-3 on a goal by McGann. She took a pass from Bonner with her back to the cage and buried a backhanded shot for her third goal of the season.

The Polar Bears pulled ahead for good with 3:14 left in the third when Maddie Mrva centered a ball from the right wing that Balmelli redirected into the back of the cage. Bowdoin later added an insurance marker early in the fourth quarter when Ella Davies finished off a feed from Caroline Higgins.

Despite the two-goal deficit, the Camels continued to scratch and claw the rest of the way. In a wild one-minute stretch, Bonner was twice denied by O'Donald, and Maddie Mason (Brentwood, N.H.) was turned away by an incredible mid-air defensive save by Melissa Shunk.

The Polar Bears finished the game with a 14-12 edge in total shots and an 11-4 advantage in penalty corners. 

Conn (1-3 overall, 0-2 NESCAC) will next play at Tufts University on Sunday, September 15 at noon.