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| Sam Polito preserved Bates' 0-0 tie against Bowdoin with eight saves on Sept. 23, 2015. (File photo by Josh Kuckens/Bates College) |
Senior goalkeeper Sam Polito (Far Hills, N.J.) was the hero of the game for Bates, making eight saves including back-to-back stops in the first minute of overtime. Polito dove to stop a hard shot by Bowdoin's Andrew Jones from the right side of the box, then got to his feet and dived to his left to get a hand on Levi Morant's rebound try near the left post, batting it away out of bounds.
Bates' best chance to score occurred within the first seconds of the second half, when sophomore Nate Merchant's (Los Angeles, Calif.) hard, low shot was turned away by Bowdoin keeper Stevie Van Siclen (two saves).
Bowdoin attempted 21 shots to Bates' 10 and 12 corner kicks to Bates' three. Van Siclen made two saves for the Polar Bears. The Polar Bears controlled most of the first half, outshooting Bates 9-2 in the period.
The tie breaks a run of five straight wins for the Polar Bears between the rivals. It is the second year in a row the teams fought into double overtime; the Polar Bears won 2-1 in extra time a year ago, their fifth straight win against Bates. The teams last tied on Sept. 18, 2010, a 0-0 result.