MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- The fifth-seeded and No. 14 nationally ranked Bates field hockey team became just the second team to hold No. 3 Tufts scoreless through 80 minutes this season, but the Jumbos prevailed 3-2 in a shootout to capture the NESCAC title over the Bobcats Sunday afternoon on the campus of Middlebury College.

Bates (12-6) and Tufts (16-2) delivered an evenly matched conference championship game, as the Bobcats once again stood tall on defense despite consistent pressure from the Jumbos. 

First-year goalkeeper Ava Donohue (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) made six saves on her way to recording her second shutout of the season. Senior Anna Cote (New Gloucester, Maine) did all she could on offense for the Bobcats, recording all four of the team's shots, with one shot on goal that got turned away by Tufts goalkeeper Lydia Eastburn in the fifth minute of action.

After a scoreless 80 minutes (60 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods), the game went to a shootout. 

Tufts got off to a hot start, as Bates missed their first two chances while Andrea Delgiudice, Kylie Rosenquest, and Hannah Murray converted for the Jumbos. Cote and senior captain Amanda Zerbib (Larchmont, N.Y.) converted their chances to keep the Bobcats in it, and Donohue came up with a big stop of a Hannah Biccard attempt, making the score 3-2. The Bobcats needed to convert one more opportunity to give Donohue a chance to send it to sudden-death, but Bates could not convert and Tufts celebrated their first NESCAC title since 2016. 

This is the furthest Bates has ever gone at the NESCAC Championships, as the Bobcats advanced to the title game for the first time in program history with their stunning 2-1 win over the six-time defending champion and No. 1 nationally ranked Middlebury Panthers on Saturday in the semifinals. 

Bates now awaits their NCAA fate as the selection show airs Sunday at 9:30 p.m. eastern time on ncaa.com. The Bobcats are hoping to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the second straight season.