On a beautiful, but chilly October day, the Bates field hockey team defeated Williams by a score of 1-0. As easily as the score could have been 3-1 in the Bobcat's favor, there was something extra-special about notching the 1-0 win.
From the first whistle, Bates played with urgency and focus. We were able to generate more offensive opportunities and to put some real pressure on the Williams defense. Finally that pressure paid off as senior defender Annie Wilson (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) picked off an attempted pass at the 25, carried the ball into the circle and sent a hard pass to the left, where her former high school teammate, Kundtz (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) was waiting at the post to redirect the ball past Williams goalkeeper Katrina Tulla for a 1-0 lead.
Bates had a slight edge in play in the first half especially in terms of time of possession , but as we knew would happen Williams turned up the pressure in the second half. Both teams had good scoring opportunities that they were unable to capitalize on. The Bobcats had a number of breakaway chances that we just couldn't quite finish off.
The Garnet defense held tough throughout the contest and came up with some brilliant plays. Senior goalkeeper Katie McEnroe (Hockessin, Del.) tallied 16 saves while junior Mackenzie Ross(N. Yarmouth, ME) had a clutch defensive save in the second half to preserve the lead. Junior Amanda Brusca(Pride's Crossing, MA), sophomore Alie Philip(Simsbury, CT) and senior captain Zoe Donaldson(Bronxville, NY) also made some crucial plays inside our defensive 25 to help shut down the Williams attack.
The victory was our first conference win of the season, but more importantly was the first game that Bates played the way they are capable of playing for the entire(or most of) 70 minutes. It was great to get the win at home on Parents and Family weekend and to be able to have so many of the parents present!
Currently, we are on our way to Babson to take on the Beavers in a non-conference game with a 2pm start. If you can't be there in person please check us out online-the game can be followed via Live Stats: and via live video:http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/babson.portal#
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