WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Sophomore Sophie O'Sullivan found the back of the cage in the 59th minute, but by then it was too little, too late for the No. 11 nationally ranked Bates field hockey team, as the Bobcats fell 2-1 to No. 3 Williams Saturday afternoon in NESCAC action. 

O'Sullivan (Wellesley, Mass.) tallied her fourth goal of the season, tying the sophomore for first on the team in goals scored this year with seniors Anna Cote (New Gloucester, Maine) and Maria Femia (Canton, Mass.).

The Ephs (9-0, 6-0 NESCAC) generally controlled play in what proved to be a defensive battle between two of the top teams in the NESCAC. Williams tallied eight shots on the day to just three for the Bobcats. 

Neither team recorded a shot until the second quarter, and both teams only recorded one penalty corner apiece. 

Williams broke through in the 23rd minute when Kiki Higgins found Meaghan Boehm for the first tally of the day. 

The Bobcats (6-3, 3-2 NESCAC) denied a late Ephs penalty corner and the score stood 1-0 in favor of the hosts at halftime.

But Williams wasted little time getting an insurance tally in a third quarter where they outshot Bates by a count of 5-1. Higgins found Boehm yet again in the 37th minute to make the score 2-0.

Down by two, the Bobcats finally earned a penalty corner in the 58th minute. Senior captain Amanda Zerbib (Larchmont, N.Y.) fired a shot on goal but Ellie Smith made the save. Just a few seconds later, O'Sullivan was able to score an unassisted tally to cut the deficit to one. It's just the third goal allowed this season by the Ephs. 

But that was it for either side, as neither team recorded a shot for the final 1:54 of the contest.

First-year Ava Donohue (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) made a pair of saves for Bates in the cage.

The Bobcats look to bounce back right away when they visit No. 22 Hamilton for a noon start on Sunday.