Through the first month of the fall season, the Bates women’s soccer team has had five wins, two losses, and one tie. They beat Maine Maritime, Hamilton College, University of New England, Wesleyan University, and Thomas College. Their sole tie was with Williams College, and their only two losses were to Babson University and Trinity College. As far as the first half of a season can go, this was a great start. Ainsley Jamieson ’18 says, “I think the work rate and intensity have been really good thus far.” This helps explains the early success that the team has had.
However, so far this October, the Bobcats have lost two NESCAC games to Bowdoin and Connecticut College, with the second loss coming this past Saturday Oct. 7. Fortunately, they bounced back and defeated Elms College on Sunday Oct. 8.
On Saturday at Connecticut College, a school that is ranked 16th nationally, the Bobcats were outshot 27-5 and 12-2 in shots on goal. Although the shot totals were not great for the team, one bright spot was Captain Sarah McCarthy ’18’s nine saves. Ultimately, the great goalie plays were not enough as the team lost the contest 3-0. Although this was not the outcome they were looking for, Connecticut College is nationally ranked and was not expected to be an easy opponent.
Putting the loss behind them, the team was able to bounce back on Sunday when playing Elms College, winning the contest 3-0. The three goals were scored by Sarah Gutch ’19, Riley Turcotte ’20, and Elizabeth Bennett ’21. This was an important win for the team to help right the ship and get back on track to winning games after a tough spell of three straight losses. The Bobcats looked good in this game, tallying 19 shots to Elms’ 8, which included 6 on goal for Bates versus only 3 for Elms.
Despite the lack of success in the first few games of October, the team still strongly believes in their ability to be successful. Emma Goff ’18 says, “I would say that the team atmosphere this year is better than it ever has been. From the first person on the roster to the last, everyone has 100% bought in to the success of the team. This has made a huge positive impact on our season.” Because of this atmosphere, the Bobcats are ready to continue their season through October with their eyes on NESCAC playoffs. They do not believe this to be unachievable.
At 6-4-1, the Bobcats are not out of playoff contention. In order to make these playoff goals a reality, Jamieson says, “Going into the second half of the season we can’t let our intensity decrease.” This is especially true because the last four games of the season, all in the month of October, come against NESCAC opponents. Due to the highly competitive nature of the conference, none of these games will be easy contests. All are home games, which should benefit the team, but the opponents are Tufts, Amherst, Middlebury, and Colby. Jamieson ’20 says, “I have confidence in every member on the team this year and I think we have the potential to do big things.” With this attitude and the success of the team thus far, the Bobcats have their eyes set on playoffs and will continue to play hard to make that a reality.
