Senior captain Sarah McCarthy made 11 saves and recorded her sixth career shutout in a 1-0 victory for the Bates women's soccer team to open NESCAC play Saturday afternoon at Hamilton.
"She has been a rock for us in her career," Bates head coach Kelsy Ross said. "Her communication and her confidence in this team is so important. We could not have asked for more out of her today."
McCarthy (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) was brilliant between the pipes for Bates, finishing just one shy of matching her career-high for saves in a match.
The Bobcat defense was stout overall, denying five corner kick opportunities, including two in the second half.
In the 81st minute, an Amanda Becker shot missed high and in the 82nd minute Katie Kreider missed high as well. Then McCarthy made a save on a Kreider shot just 30 seconds later. The last opportunity for Hamilton came in the 86th minute, but McCarthy denied a Cat Gambino shot on goal.
"It was a great team effort today," McCarthy said. "This is how we wanted to start our season."
