LEWISTON, ME. The Bobcats (1-0, 1-0 NESCAC) clinched their first win of the season Saturday afternoon in a 1-0 victory over Williams (0-1, 0-1 NESCAC). Stellar play by goalkeeper, Becca Otley was instrumental in the Bates victory. Otley had 13 save in her debut, earning the shutout.
Play went back and forth for much of the first half, with neither team able to sustain attacking opportunities. While Williams had the edge in shots with 9 to the Bobcat's 4 the teams were even on penalty corners with two apiece.
The second half saw more of the same with fairly even play. Williams increased the pressure a little more than halfway through the second period, earning the majority of their six second half penalty corners in about seven minutes.
With 4:35 on the clock Bates called timeout. "We just needed to slow down and remind them of a couple of key things to look for and pay attention to." said Head Coach Wynn Hohlt. Apparently, this worked as the Bobcats took the ensuing 16yard hit and worked the ball down field and into the Eph's circle. A loose ball was gathered by sophomore Bridget Meedzan, she passed it to Junior Michelle Brady who put it into the back of the net with 4:07 to go.
While Williams continued to put pressure on the Bobcat defense, the momentum had shifted and the confidence with which Bates had been playing with earlier returned. "I am so proud of the way we played today." said Hohlt, "We had some really good passing combinations, we narrowly missed scoring on a beautifully executed corner, and we never gave up. It wasn't our prettiest hockey, but we won a lot of 50-50 balls and we just kept at it until we broke through. It is a great start to the season!"
Game Statisitcs
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