MEDFORD, Mass. -- The Bates women's soccer team couldn't get anything going offensively Saturday in a 3-0 loss at No. 13 nationally ranked Tufts.
Tufts (5-2, 3-1 NESCAC) took an early lead when their first shot of the game went in at 11 minutes. A header by Stephanie DiLeo set up Lily Sykes who buried the ball in the net to the left of Bates goalie, senior Kat Nuckols (Los Angeles). Sykes had the first two shots of the game when just four minutes later her high shot was saved by Nuckols.
The Bobcats (1-4-2, 0-3 NESCAC) had their own opportunity when a shot by sophomore Maeve Parmelee (Pelham, N.Y.) went just high off the crossbar at the 18th minute. The Jumbos then quickly added to their lead when at 24 minutes Maddie Pero scored off a deflection by Hannah Isenhart. A free kick by Sykes set up the play where Isenhart set up Pero to kick the ball top shelf into the net.
A shot by Olivia Patz with just five seconds remaining in the first period put the Jumbos shot total at 7. This was in comparison to the one shot on goal the Bobcats had in the first half.
The Jumbos continued right where they left off in the second half. Two consecutive corner kicks gave them great looks with a header by Patz going just right and a shot by Claire Wilkinson going just left on the second corner at the 51st minute. An impressive block by Bates prevented Isenhart from scoring off another corner kick at the 56th minute.
Tufts took advantage of their fourth corner kick of the half when Liz Reed kicked the ball in and DiLeo scored in the 60th minute. An amazing save by Nuckols kept the score at 3-0 when she met a charging Melina McDevitt and blocked her shot at the 62nd minute. Nuckols was replaced by goalie first-year Ruby Reimann (Oak Bluffs, Mass.) at the 76th minute to finish the game.
Bates took some momentum when they had a corner kick of their own at the 84th minute. A kick by first-year Mollie Franklin (Framingham, Mass.) was taken by first-year Heidi Nydam (Ithaca, N.Y.) whose shot was saved by Tufts goalie, Kaelin Logue. Bates then had an incredible blocked shot by senior captain Annie Doig (Wayne, Pa.) to prevent Tufts from going up 4-0 at the 86th minute.
The Bobcats next play Sunday at 12pm at Trinity College.
