BRUNSWICK

The Bowdoin College football team is 1-5 this season. There is no playoff in the Polar Bears’ future, in fact the New England Small College Athletic Conference doesn’t send a representative to the Division III postseason.

So, what gets a one-win football squad fired up for yet another opponent?

At this time of the season, Bowdoin’s attention turns to the Colby- Bates-Bowdoin trophy, with rival Bates scheduled to visit Whittier Field on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. to try and snag the prize away from the Polar Bears, who have possessed the C-B-B for six consecutive years.

“This is a two-game playoff, and the trophy is something we want to keep right here at Bowdoin,” said Polar Bears football coach Dave Caputi, whose squad will travel to Waterville to take on Colby College on Nov. 10 in the season finale. “These are a couple games to get excited about.”

For Bates, the scenario is easy. After defeating Colby last Saturday, 31-6, the Bobcats need to simply win this week to take possession of the C-B-B.

And, recent history in this Bowdoin Bates rivalry has gone the Bobcats’ way, having won two of the past three contests with Bowdoin, including last season’s 24-2 rout at Lewiston. Still, Bowdoin leads the all-time series 64-42-7.

Last year, Bates fell to Colby 37-13, while Bowdoin defeated the Mules 20-10 to forge a three-way tie for the C-B-B, keeping the trophy in Brunswick for another season.

This season

Caputi’s squad has struggled with turnovers and injuries from the getgo this season. A total of 24 turnovers, 16 interceptions and eight lost fumbles, has hampered the Polar Bears.

“We’ve lost 14 guys to injuries for the season, which has forced us to reinvent ourselves,” said Caputi, whose squad has been outscored 149- 82. “We’ve been efficient, but not productive on offense. We need to finish drives.”

Quarterback Thomas Romero (81- of-165, 955 yards, three touchdowns, 13 interceptions) leads the offense, along with running backs Zach Donnarumma (112 carries, 455 yards, four TDs) and Greg Pierce (68-244, two TDs). On the receiving front, David Black has a team-high 26 receptions for 243 yards, while Griffin Cardew (65 tackles, two sacks, one fumble recovery, one interception), Joey Cleary (41, two sacks), Tom Wells (39, one fumble recovery), Brian Glazewski (36, one sack) and Beau Breton (34, one fumble recovery) pace the defense.

Meanwhile, Bates (3-3) has a chance at its first winning season since 1981 when the Bobcats finished 6-2.

Quarterback Trevor Smith leads Bates with 1,108 all-purpose yards (682 passing, 426 rushing) with a combined eight touchdowns. Patrick George (78 carries, 360 yards) and Kevin Smith (20 receptions, 268 yards) are also dangerous, while Andrew Kukesh has four interceptions.

Bates possesses the No. 4 scoring offense (26 points a game), while Bowdoin is ninth (13.7). On the defensive end, the Bobcats are fifth in average points allowed (22.3), with the Polar Bears sixth (24.8).

“Bates is a worthy adversary, with a scheme both on offense and defense that our other opponents don’t use. They’re good,” said Caputi.

Women’s soccer

The Polar Bears have advanced to the NESCAC semifinals after a 3-2 victory over fifth-seeded Hamilton in the quarterfinals last weekend.

Bowdoin, the No. 4 seed, faces third-seeded Amherst (Saturday, 1:30 p.m. at Williamstown, Mass.) in the postseason for the third consecutive season. The Jeffs eliminated the Polar Bears both times with 3-2 victories in the quarters.

“This season has been wonderful, with this team working hard for its success,” said first-year Bowdoin coach Brianna Weaver, whose concerns were with family this week in Maryland after Hurricane Sandy came ashore along the East Coast of the U.S.

With everyone in Maryland doing well, Weaver turned her full attention to preparing her squad for Amherst, which handed Bowdoin a 4-1 loss on Oct. 14.

“Amherst is a good program, but for us it’s a mindset when we go up against them, something we will have to overcome,” said Weaver. “If we play like we are capable of playing and have faith, we will do well.”

Bowdoin enters Saturday’s contest with an 11-3-1 mark and sports balanced scoring, with 10 players producing goals this season, led by freshman Kiersten Turner (six goals). Freshman Jamie Hofstetter scored all three goals in the win over Hamilton to give her five scores, while junior Molly Popolizio leads in assists with seven and has five goals.

“One of our big points was balance this season after the graduation of Ellery Gould (Bowdoin’s alltime leading goal scorer with 46 and points leader with 103),” said Weaver. “We worked on a team attacking philosophy.”

In goal, freshman Bridget McCarthy has a 0.92 goals-against average and three shutouts.

In the other semifinal, No. 2 Williams hosts eighth-seeded Wesleyan, which upset top-seeded Middlebury in the quarterfinals.

Field hockey

Third-seeded Bowdoin knocked off No. 6 Williams, 3-0, in the NESCAC quarterfinals last Saturday to improve to 13-2 and advance to the NESCAC semifinals this upcoming Saturday.

“We are delighted with the way the season has gone, 12-2 in the regular season is a significant accomplishment,” said Bowdoin coach Nicky Pearson, whose Polar Bears take on second-seeded Tufts at Middlebury, Vt., at 1:30 p.m.

Bowdoin is familiar with the 14-1 Jumbos, who handed the Polar Bears a regular-season closing 3-1 setback on Oct. 23.

“Tufts is a very talented team, and we were disappointed with the number of offensive chances we created in the first game,” said Pearson, whose squad was outshot by Tufts 13-4 . “We need to put more pressure on the ball this weekend.”

Junior Katie Riley leads the Polar Bears offense with 12 goals and 11 assists. Seniors Cathleen Smith (11 goals, seven assists) and Brooke Phinney (11 goals, six assists) have also produced solid seasons, while rookie Rachel Kennedy has tallied 11 goals. Bowdoin outscored its opponents 57-9, with senior goaltender Kayla Lessard (0.65 GAA) credited with five shutouts.

“Considering we graduated five starters from last year’s squad, this team came together incredibly well,” said Pearson, who has led Bowdoin to three NCAA Division III national titles since 2007. “Our scoring has come from multiple sources, and that makes it difficult for our opponents to shut us down.”

The first semifinal on Saturday pits host and No. 1 seed Middlebury (15-0) against fifth-seeded Amherst at 11 a.m.

“Middlebury is an excellent team. They are fast, skillful and have scored a lot of goals this season,” said Pearson. The Panthers handed Bowdoin its other loss this season, a 2-1 triumph on Sept. 22.. “Amherst (Bowdoin defeated the Jeffs 1-0 in overtime Oct. 14) is another talented team in the league. They connect and move the ball nicely in transition and have a good goalkeeper.”

All four semifinal teams are ranked. Middlebury tops the D-III poll, with Bowdoin third, Tufts eighth and Amherst 14th.

Women’s Volleyball

A late season 3-1 loss to NESCAC rival Middlebury cost the defending conference champs Bowdoin an opportunity to host the NESCAC tourney for the second straight season.

So, the 27-3 Polar Bears (8-2 NESCAC, No. 3 seed) head to top-seeded Connecticut College for a meeting with No. 6 Tufts tonight at 8 p.m.

Bowdoin defeated the Jumbos twice during the regular season — 3-2 on Oct. 6 and 3-0 on Oct. 19.

Junior Sophie Carnew makes the Polar Bear train go, tallying 818 assists this year. Senior Melissa Haskell has 267 kills, while freshman Christy Jewett put away 229 kills. Junior Taylor Vail has 337 digs to lead the team.

In other quarterfinal tilts, the No. 1 Camels host eighth-seeded Colby, No. 7 Trinity takes on No. 2 Middlebury and fourth-seeded Amherst and No. 5 Williams meet.

The semifinals are set for Saturday (1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.), with the championship Sunday at noon.

Women’s rugby

The undefeated Polar Bears (9-0) will host the 2012 New England Small College Rugby Conference Championships on Saturday at Pickard Field.

Bowdoin will take on rival Middlebury in the league’s first-ever championship cup match at 1 p.m. Colby tackles Tufts in the third-place contest in Saturday’s opener at 11 a.m.

The Polar Bears rolled to the top spot this season, with Middlebury edging Colby by one point for second place and a berth in the title match.

Bowdoin whitewashed the competition this season, outscoring its opponents 364-18.

Bowdoin seniors are Althea Cavanaugh, Jimena Escudero, Uche Esonu, Lynn Freedman, Danielle McAvoy, Kerry Townsend and Helen White.

Former Mt. Ararat High School student/ athlete and Bowdoin sophomore Randi London plays inside-center.