Bates’ Emma Patterson powerslides while shooting at the goal during Tuesday night’s field hockey game in Lewiston. (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal)

Bates’ Meghan Lapar slams the ball down the field as Univeristy of Maine at Farmington’s Nickyia Lovely comes into the play from the right. (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal)

LEWISTON — Bates College spent the most of Tuesday evening in front of the University of Maine at Farmington, forcing the Beavers to maintain a defensive posture in their college field hockey matchup.

The Beavers kept a constant vigil on defense, but it wasn’t enough to contain the Bobcats, who peppered the UMF net with 38 shots and eventually drifted away with an 11-0 victory.

The Bobcats’ dominance was obvious with 16 penalty corners to their credit.

“I think the bright spots were our ability to just focus on ourselves and to have everyone who played tonight to able to understand and perform in our game structure and setting regardless where they were, so that was good,” Bates coach Danielle Ryder Kogut said. “I think they (Beavers) worked really hard. I think they really have some nice players on their half of the field. I know that they don’t play on this kind of surface so it gets really tough to play on this.

“I think it was a really good game. It was really nice to see everyone perform and it was nice to see them stick to a game plan from start to finish and kind of be interchangeable on the field and still focus.

By halftime, the Bobcats cooly built a 5-0 lead, while the Beavers couldn’t do much to slow down Bates’ fine passing and speed in the midfield.

Freshman midfielder Bridget Thompson slipped in her goal at the 20:05 mark on junior midfielder Grace Fitzgerald’s assist.

That was just the beginning of the Bobcats’ indomitable offense.

Fitzgerald set up senior forward Taylor Lough’s goal to give Bates a 2-0 lead. Senior Emma Patterson then scored back-to-back goals, with Fitzgerald picking up an assist on one of them.

Lough topped off Bates’ 5-0 lead with her second goal on a Isa Garcia-Moreno assist.

The second half featured another Bates parade to the UMF net, which amounted to a six-goal outburst.

Sophomore forward Bridget Tweedie slapped in a goal on a Victoria McGee assist and the Bobcats were off and running in the final half.

Garcia-Moreno followed with an unassisted goal and teammate Ashton Bayle scored on a junior midfielder Alexa Jurgeleit’s assist, providing Bates with an 8-0 lead.

Bates’ next goal came from Tweedie’s second goal on a Thompson assist. Then sophomore forward Lily Nygren punched one in on an assist from freshman forward Riley Burns, who scored the Bobcats’ last goal unassisted.

The Beavers’ only shot on the Bobcat net came from freshman forward Chloe Horn of a breakaway, but the ball was promptly kicked away by winning goalie Ellie Bauer, who had a light night with one save.

“Yeah, it was tough,” UMF coach Cyndi Pratt said. “I mean they are a better field hockey team than we are, clearly. I think we did what we could do, and I am proud of my girls in that way, but I think that’s a team that, as far as their ability, we hope to be there some time.

“So we have to keep on working and we are not there yet, clearly … and by playing these games we can see what level we want to get to and that’s what we have to try to do.”

Bates Isa Garcia-Moreno and University of Maine at Farmington’s Nickyia Lovely struggle for control of the ball during Tuesday night’s field hockey game in Lewiston. (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal)

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