LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates women's lacrosse team heads west to open its 2023 season, taking on NCAA Division II school Fort Lewis College on Tuesday, and Colorado College on Thursday.

Head coach Renee Olsen enters her second year at the helm of the program.

"Year one was a bit of a whirlwind, but it was really exciting," Olsen said. "This year, we have been a little bit more organized and definitely a lot more hardworking. So we're really excited to see how that translates to the field. We implemented some new offensive looks this year and we'll be building off our defense from last season as well."

The Bobcats are led by a pair of senior captains. According to Olsen, midfielder Shelby Howard (Ashland, Mass.) and goalkeeper Cammie Lavoie (Epping, N.H.) set a strong example for the rest of the team.

"They're in our office at least once a week talking about something, making sure that we've got meals down and all of those kinds of things," Olsen said. "They're very on top of everything and definitely have that grit and wanting to win, so they're passing that along to the rest of their teammates."

Lavoie was named the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association National Defensive Player of the Week last year after tallying a career-high 16 saves in a 13-12 win over No. 12 nationally ranked Hamilton. Wins like those give this year's edition of the Bobcats something to build on.

"We improved as a team every single day last year and that's definitely a goal again this season," Olsen said. "Beating a nationally ranked team was a confidence booster and they know they can do it, so they'll definitely take that momentum into the season and we're not going to fear any opponents. We're going to go into each game with a high level of excitement." 

On offense, the Bobcats lose their top three goal scorers from a year ago due to graduation.

"It's a lot more moving parts, a lot more passing the ball and seeing what we can do with our teammates," Olsen said. "So it'll be fun to see who steps into some roles that we're missing from last year."

Sophomore Trish Balser (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) is the leading returning scorer for Bates, tallying 11 goals and dishing out three assists last year. Sophomore Caroline Taggart (Concord, Mass.) added eight goals and two assists, and junior Maddy Roelofs (Rye, N.H.) scored two goals, dishing out a team-leading eight assists as well. 

Olsen is thrilled about the eventual return of junior Emma Austin (Sharon, Vt.), who was off to a strong start last year with two goals in three games before an injury ended her season. 

"Seeing her recovery and how hard she worked in her physical therapy, I think it's an inspiration for the rest of the players," Olsen said. "We're excited to see what she can do this season."

Defensively, new assistant coach Kelsey Shewbridge has emphasized a back-to-basics approach, with some new wrinkles thrown in as well. 

"We've been trying some different defenses from last year," Olsen said. "Coach Shewbridge has been incredible on the defensive side and she's been working a lot with footwork, so we're kind of going back to the fundamentals this year and building upon those and she's doing a really good job of that."

Bates lost three games last year by two or fewer goals. Turning those into wins this year would be a big step forward. Olsen, who played at NESCAC rival Trinity, knows what it takes to win in the conference.

"It's all about getting out there and competing," Olsen said. "We had a competition day already within our team and that kind of sparked some growth as well. So the biggest thing for us is focusing on the competition, putting everything out there on the line, and getting after it. That's something that I learned from my playing career."