Bowdoin’s Peter Flannery (5) high-fives Alec Delgado (41) during Saturday's NCAA Division III men's lacrosse tournament game against Rivier in Brunswick. The Polar Bears advanced to the third round with a 28-3 win. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

BRUNSWICK — The first half was played in a heavy downpour, but it didn’t slow the Bowdoin men’s lacrosse team.

The Polar Bears dominated Rivier on their way to a 28-3 win Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament.

“You just got to embrace it,” junior midfielder Sam Raye-Steiner said. “When it’s rainy, someone’s like, ‘It’s polar bear weather.’ And for us, (if) it’s a downpour, (if) it’s snowing, bring it.”

Bowdoin (14-3) will host Amherst (11-5), which beat Endicott 12-11 in Saturday’s second game, at 3 p.m. Sunday. Amherst beat Bowdoin, 12-8, on March 23.

Senior attacker Patrick Fitzgerald scored seven times and was one of 13 players to score for the Polar Bears. Fitzgerald broke the program record for goals in a season with 72. Judd Newkirk set the previous record of 69 in 1995.

Bowdoin held Rivier (17-2) to season lows in shots (14) and goals.

“Two weeks ago, we played against Hamilton in this weather, and we struggled a little bit,” Fitzgerald said. “We’ve had some rain since, we’ve been a little sharper. Yeah, sometimes balls get away from you, it is what it is, but kind of a next play mentality. It might not always be perfect, but as long as we play hard, we’ll be here.”

Bowdoin coach Bill Mason added: “We’ve been in these spots before as a program. We know how hard it is to win these games, and so I don’t think I’m going to need to say much or do much to get these guys ready to go for tomorrow.”

Control of the faceoff circle (Bowdoin held a 26-9 advantage) and persistent defense (13 caused turnovers) gave the Polar Bears long possessions and a wire-to-wire win. Bowdoin led 9-1 after the first quarter and 14-1 at halftime. Many starters were pulled throughout the third quarter.

Rivier, who came into the game as the second-best scoring defense (6.61 goals allowed/game) in Division III, struggled to keep the deep Bowdoin attack in front of them.

“They just fly around,” Rivier coach James DeLanoy said. “They move the ball around. They’ve got 12 guys that can score, and they only put six on offense at a time, so it’s hard to stop their top six.”

Bowdoin’s Cormac Walsh looks to shoot during the Polar Bears’ 28-3 win over Rivier in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament on Saturday in Brunswick. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

Raye-Steiner, who recorded three goals and an assist, said the offensive game plan revolved around leveling up, or passing on solid shot opportunities for better ones.

“We felt confident on matchups today, but if we had a step or we had an opportunity to score, it’s kind of thinking of the next play and maybe making that one more pass to our teammate, and then having them get a really good chance on goal,” Raye-Steiner said. “So I think just being generous, sharing the ball and being confident in matchups, and today, I don’t think anyone could really stay in front of us.”

Freshman attacker Hudson Greene added three goals and an assist. Chris Berry notched two goals and three assists, and Casey Ryan recorded two goals and two assists.

Rivier was held scoreless from 13:12 in the first quarter to 5:24 in the fourth.

“It’s difficult to clear the ball against us,” Mason said. “Our defense has been really solid all year, and we’re playing our best defense (now), so it’s tough to get shots off against us. The six guys on defense just play really connected. They play together, and very rarely, when you play offense against us, are you getting hands-free looks.”

Robert Hobbs and Alec Delgado combined for seven saves for Bowdoin. Sawyer Gagnon stopped 17 shots for Rivier, and Samuel Tibbetts made four saves.