WATERVILLE, Maine -- Senior Anna Cote and junior Brooke Moloney-Kolenberg tallied two goals apiece and the No. 15 nationally ranked Bates field hockey team rolled to a 6-2 win over Colby College Tuesday night in NESCAC action.

The Bobcats (10-5, 6-4 NESCAC) scored the first three goals of the game and never looked back. It's the fifth straight time they've defeated the Mules (7-8, 3-7 NESCAC) and the eighth time in the last nine years. 

Bates got on the board in the seventh minute of action. Senior captain Anna Lindeis (New Canaan, Conn.) intercepted a pass and fed the ball ahead to Cote (New Gloucester, Maine), who got the ball into the shooting circle and onto the stick of junior Lucy Norris (Chicago, Ill.). Norris delivered a cross from the right side that Moloney-Kolenberg (New Canaan, Conn.) redirected into the cage for the opening tally of the evening.

Lindeis got the offense going once again in the 11th minute of action. After the ball went out of bounds at midfield, Lindeis lofted the ball above the defense on the re-start on the right side and it landed at the stick of senior Maria Femia (Canton, Mass.). Femia attempted to deliver a cross on the baseline, but it got deflected by a Colby defender. The Mules couldn't clear the ball out of the shooting area and sophomore Sophie O'Sullivan (Wellesley, Mass.) was able to poke the ball back to Cote. Cote went top shelf on the left side of the cage for her first goal of the night, putting the Bobcats up 2-0.

The Bobcats went up 3-0 in the 14th minute thanks to the persistence of first-year Madeline Conta (Campbell, Calif.). O'Sullivan keyed the offense with a cross into the shooting area. Conta's initial attempt was denied by Colby goalkeeper Leah Anderson, but the rookie was able to collect the rebound and scramble it home for her first collegiate goal.

Bates' tremendous start to the game was briefly slowed when the Mules got on the board in the 15th minute, scoring just before the end of the first quarter. Colby was able to intercept a Bates pass and work their way into the shooting area. Christina Sweeney threaded the ball through traffic and Bridget Everett one-timed it home from right in front of the cage to cut the Bates lead to 3-1.

But Bates was able to run away with things thanks to a pair of goals in the second quarter. In the 21st minute, Lindeis got the ball ahead to Femia, who used her speed to beat the defense down the field. Femia's cross from up close found the stick of Moloney-Kolenberg for the latter's sixth goal of the season. 

Now up 4-1, the Bobcats added to their lead by taking advantage of a penalty corner in the 23rd minute. Sophomore Haley Dwight (West Newbury, Mass.) delivered the insert to the left side of the shooting circle and senior captain Amanda Zerbib (Larchmont, N.Y.) ripped a shot that deflected off of Cote's stick and into the top part of the cage for Cote's team-leading 10th goal of the season.

The Bobcats led 5-1 at halftime, and kept the pressure on in the third quarter. They took advantage of another penalty corner in the 41st minute. This time Lindeis delivered the insert, and Zerbib tried another shot. It got blocked by a Mule but landed on the stick of sophomore Elena Agosti (North Andover, Mass.), who fired a shot from the right side of the shooting area, finding the back of the cage for her first collegiate goal.

The Mules were able to get a goal back in the 46th minute on a second tally from Everett, assisted by Sweeney and Pernilla Shaw. But by then it was too little, too late, for the hosts.

Bates won by four goals despite being outshot 24-22. The Bobcats had more shots on goal though, tallying 19 to Colby's 16. Both teams earned six penalty corners.

First-year goalkeeper Ava Donohue (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) had a terrific game for the Bobcats, tallying a career-high 13 saves. Dwight added a defensive save for Bates. She leads the NESCAC in defensive saves with eight on the season. 

The Bobcats head to Wesleyan this Saturday for the NESCAC quarterfinals. Bates is seeded fifth in the conference while the Cardinals are the four seed. The action gets underway at 1 p.m.