MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- The No. 13 nationally ranked Bates field hockey team gave No. 1 Middlebury all they could handle, but a big second quarter for the Panthers made the difference as the Bobcats fell 2-0 in NESCAC action Sunday afternoon. 

Sophomore Kaili Jacobsen (Fairfield, Conn.) made a career-high 10 saves in the cage for the Bobcats. 

The Panthers (7-0, 4-0 NESCAC) looked to find the opening goal after 3:20 of action. Lilly Branka fired a long blast which was denied by Jacobsen, before a close-range rebound effort from Katie George was pushed to the side.

Bates (3-3, 1-2 NESCAC) threatened on back-to-back penalty corners midway through the first quarter, but Middlebury goalie KK Newton slid in to thwart both bids. 

With 14 seconds to go in the opening stanza, the Bobcats nearly snatched the lead, but a shot from the doorstep by senior Kami Lambert was stopped by Newton.

Bates out-shot Middlebury 4-3 in the first quarter, but the second quarter belonged to the five-time defending NCAA champions. 

The Panthers took a 1-0 advantage at the 19:55 mark. Caroline Segal slipped a pass toward the goalmouth which reached George who dribbled past Jacobsen and knocked her shot into the corner from a 90 degree angle.

Only 30 seconds later, George nearly doubled her tally, but her shot from point-blank range was denied by Jacobsen.

Middlebury took a 2-0 edge with just over three minutes remaining in the half. Charlotte Marks blasted a shot which rang the post, but Sadie LeStage was on hand to tap the rebound into the bottom left corner.

The Panthers looked to find another goal after 1:31 in the third stanza. Branka lobbed a shot that was destined for the upper right corner, but Jacobsen flicked it over the crossbar with her stick.

Bates applied pressure throughout the final frame with a flurry of penalty corners, but Newton and the Middlebury defense denied Bates to complete the shutout. The Bobcats forced Newton to make a career-high five saves.

Lambert paced the Bobcats with three shots, two on goal. The Bobcats earned nine penalty corners to Middlebury's five. 

Bates is back in action this Saturday at 11am when the Bobcats visit Trinity.