GORHAM, Maine -- The Bates field hockey team scored six second half goals to break open a 1-0 game and defeat the University of Southern Maine Huskies 7-0 in the season opener for the Bobcats Wednesday night.
 
Meeting for the 62nd time, Bates now leads the series 43-15-4. 

After a scoreless first quarter, Bates (1-0) took a 1-0 lead midway through the second as junior captain Paige Cote (Auburn, Maine) notched the Bobcats' first goal of the 2022 season.

Bates applied pressure early in the third and scored three goals in the first six minutes of the second half to balloon the lead to 4-0. Junior Kami Lambert (Augusta, Maine), first-year junior Ella Blum (South Salem, N.Y.), and sophomore Anna Lindeis (New Canaan, Conn.) each scored in the 31^st, 33^rd and 36^th minutes respectively. 

Cote tallied her second goal of the game before the third quarter ended for a 5-0 Bates advantage, before sophomore Maria Femia (Canton, Mass.) and Blum each scored in the fourth for the 7-0 final.
 
First-year Kaili Jacobsen (Fairfield, Conn.) got the start in goal and played 30 minutes to earn the win. Senior Grace Biddle (State College, Pa.) played the final 30 minutes of the contest. 
 
Bates led USM (1-2) in shots 24-2 (13-0 on target). The Bobcats also led USM in penalty corners 9-3.

Bates is back in action Saturday when the Bobcats host No. 6 nationally ranked Bowdoin at 11am.