BRUNSWICK, Maine -- The Bates men's soccer team stuck with No. 6 nationally ranked Bowdoin but a goal in the 55th minute by Mateo Pacelli proved to be the difference in a 1-0 road loss for the Bobcats to the Polar Bears Friday night in NESCAC action. 

First-year goalkeeper Trevor Hammond (Canton, Mich.) impressed between the pipes for Bates, making five saves on six shot attempts. This comes on the heels of his 10-save performance in the season-opener at Emerson. 

But after a scoreless first half, the Polar Bears (2-0, 1-0 NESCAC) took the lead for good less than 10 minutes into the second half. After a sustained possession, Bowdoin's Felipe Rueda Duran beat several defenders and drove a low ball into the box from the left wing. As it crossed through the penalty area, Mateo Pacelli put a toe on it, redirecting it past a diving Hammond at 54:46.

Bates' best chances to tie it up came in the final ten minutes, as they earned three corner kicks in the closing moments. The Bobcats' lone shot on goal came from sophomore Sebastian Iacovitti (Florence, Italy) with under a minute to play and was smothered by Bowdoin's Alex Ainsworth to preserve the shutout.

Bowdoin owned a 15-6 edge in shots (6-1 on goal) and 7-4 edge in corner kicks.

The Bobcats (0-2, 0-1 NESCAC) are back in action Tuesday at 7pm when they visit the University of New England.