LEWISTON, Maine -- First-year Lily Houser scored a pair of goals and the Bates women's soccer team rolled to a 5-0 win over Thomas College Wednesday at Russell Street Field.

The Bobcats (3-6-2) tallied a remarkable 40 shots on the day, with 16 on goal. Meanwhile, they held the Terriers (3-9) to just a lone shot in the contest. 

Early on, Thomas keeper Isabelle Lang kept the Terriers in the game, making eight saves during her 45 minutes in goal. But the Bobcats got the scoring started in the 25th minute when junior Elizabeth Patrick (Ipswich, Mass.) connected with Houser (Worthington, Ohio) for the latter's first collegiate goal. Then exactly a minute later, junior Shelby Howard (Ashland, Mass.) also scored her first collegiate goal, set up on an assist from junior Joanna Cloutier (Portland, Ore.), making the score 2-0 in favor of Bates. 

Howard dished out an assist for the Bobcats' third goal of the first half. In the 32nd minute, she delivered a perfect through ball to Houser on the far side and the rookie buried it in the lower left corner of the net for her second goal of the match. 

Up 3-0, the Bobcats weren't done. In the 35th minute, sophomore Audrey Soss (San Francisco, Calif.) knocked down a Thomas goal kick on the near side. Then she shook a pair of defenders and ripped a shot top shelf for her first collegiate goal. 

Bates led 4-0 at the half and the Bobcats scored their fifth and final goal of the afternoon in the 79th minute. First-year Mollie Franklin (Framingham, Mass.) took a corner kick for the Bobcats and placed the ball in the perfect spot for first-year Grace Gesmondi (Portsmouth, R.I.), who headed it home for her first collegiate goal. All four goal scorers for Bates in the contest tallied the first goals of their college careers.

Senior Kat Nuckols (Los Angeles) played the first 45 minutes in goal for Bates and was not challenged by the Terriers. First-year Ruby Reimann (Oak Bluffs, Mass.) played the final 45 minutes and made a save on a long-distance free kick from Thomas midfielder Anna Chadwick. 

The Bobcats' five goals on the afternoon are the most they've scored in one match since 2017, when they defeated Thomas 6-1 on the road. 

Bates is back in action this Saturday at 11am when the Bobcats host NESCAC foe Wesleyan at Russell Street Field.