The conclusion of the 2010 Bates field hockey campaign was considerably positive. The Bobcats won three of their final five games of the season, including a thrilling NESCAC victory against rival Colby College on 10/29, which earned the team a spot in the playoffs. Bates then faced off against the No. 1 seeded Tufts University Jumbos in a NESCAC quarter-final match up, & came up short 4-1 to end the season.
The Bobcats played well in their final regular season matches. On 10/13, in-state non-conference rival USM visited Bates, & were blanked 3-0. The team’s leading scorer, Lyndsay Beaton, stared the Bates’ offense with a deflection off of sophomore Michelle Brady’s stick just 14 minutes into the contest. A mere three minutes later, Bates earned an offensive corner, where Brady was able to control a rebound off the pads of the USM goalkeeper & redirect the ball into the cage. With 5 minutes left in the game, senior Sema Kazarian found teammate Laura Baran (’13), who put the ball in the cage for the 3rd & final tally of the night. Ultimately, Bates outshot USM 33-12, & earned eight corners to USM’s three. Bates’ GK Katie McEnroe recorded her 3rd shut-out of the season, while senior captain Zoe Donaldson tallied a defensive save.
The Bobcats couldn’t carry their momentum into their next match on 10/16 against NESCAC opponent Wesleyan. The visitors jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes. Seven minutes later, Bates made a tally when, on a penalty corner, Kelly McManus (’12) inserted the ball to Kazarian, who in turn set up Beaton to slam the ball past the Wesleyan GK. Despite McEnroe’s 15 saves & another defensive save from Donaldson, the Bobcats were not able to hold off the Cardinals, who eventually won the game 4-1.
Bates then rebounded with a decisive 4-1 win against visiting NEC on 10/19. The Bobcats recorded 48 shots (vs. NEC’s 5), & four different players contributed to the final score. Sophomore Riley Kundtz, juniors Sarah Merullo, McManus, & Beaton found the back of the net in the win. NEC did score their lone goal in the second half, preventing the Bobcats from earning a shutout.
The Bobcats were unable to build from the victory, as they fell to NESCAC rival Middlebury College on 10/23. Just three minutes into the game, Bates tallied a score off of a penalty corner, in which McManus & Kazarian set up a ball for Beaton to slam past the GK. Middlebury answered six minutes later, & the game remained tied 1-1 for the rest of the half.
Despite a 19 save effort from McEnroe, the Bobcats could not capitalize again, & the Panthers scored three goals in a span of 10 minutes midway through the second half to secure the win against the Bobcats.
In need to win their last regular season game in order to make the post-season, Bates earned a come-from-behind win against Colby in their next match. The team was propelled to victory by two goals from Kazarian as they beat their in-state NESCAC foe by a score of 2-1.
Colby jumped to a quick lead, as a Colby forward deflected a hard drive from the top of the circle up-and-over McEnroe’s shoulder, just under five minutes into the game. The Colby offense continued to pressure the Bobcats defense for the remainder of the first half, outshooting Bates 14-5.
Even so, the Bobcats rallied in the second half, embodying the do-or-die mentality that came with the high-stakes of the match. Bates got onto the scoreboard when Kazarian redirected a hit from McManus past the Colby GK. Just four minutes later, Kazarian struck again, slamming home a pass from Baran.
After the game, Kazarian explained that “the team’s ability to come from behind and beat Colby was a show of how badly [we] wanted to win, & proved that Bates deserves to be in the playoffs.”
With the victory against Colby, the Bobcats qualified for post-season NESCAC play for the second time in five years. On 10/31, Bates traveled to Tufts University for a match-up against the No. 1 seed in the tournament, who also were ranked No. 5 nationally at that time. Bates fell behind 10 minutes into the game, & was unable to get back into the contest. Bates was held without a shot in the first half, but picked up the offensive pressure in the second. Kazarian cut Tuft’s lead to 4-1, but it was too little too late for the Bobcats, as they ended their season with the 4-1 loss.
Despite losing in the first round of NESCAC play-off action, it was a successful building year for Bates. After going 1-12 overall & 0-9 in NESCAC play just a year ago, the team was able to improve to 5-10 overall & 2-7 in NESCAC play for the 2010 season.
The Bobcats are already working towards August 2011, when they will once gain take the turf & begin their collective preparation for the season. GO BOBCATS!
