LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates women's lacrosse team enters the 2024 season with a lot of optimism, as the Bobcats return their four leading point-scorers from a year ago and look to continue the development of the program under third-year head coach Renee Dowd. Bates begins its campaign Wednesday afternoon when the Bobcats visit No. 17 nationally ranked Stevens for a 4pm start.

"I think something that's really important to us this year, and has been in the past couple of years, is being a family," Dowd said. "This team is super close and you'll see some really great connections on the field this year."

On offense, the Bobcats are led by junior Caroline Taggart (Concord, Mass.), who tallied a team-leading 42 points last year, leading the Bobcats in both goals (31) and assists (11). Taggart is supported in the scoring column by senior captain Maddy Roelofs (Rye, N.H.), junior Trish Balser (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.), and senior Hanna Matthews (Westwood, Mass.). Roelofs netted 15 goals and six assists a year ago, while Balser and Matthews both found the back of the net 14 times. 

"Our offense is pretty exciting," Dowd said. "I'm excited to see our returners thrive again this year, with the addition of some of the people that got some playing time last year, and then obviously some first-years as well." 

Among the younger players, sophomores Lauren Wong (Walpole, Mass.) and Caroline Keating (Rye, N.Y.) in-particular made an immediate impact a year ago, with Wong scoring 10 goals and Keating tallying seven goals and securing a team-leading 47 draw controls. Keating and junior Emily Mueller (Alexandria, Va.) tied for the team-lead with 10 caused turnovers. Mueller is the Bobcats' top returning player when it comes to picking up ground balls, as she recorded 20 last season as a sophomore.

Roelofs is one of three captains this year for Bates, as seniors Sadie O'Neil (Concord, Mass.) and Isla Cotter (Hanover, N.H.) join her in leadership roles.

"I can't say enough good things about them, and it's the whole senior class that's just been incredible this year," Dowd said. "They're in my office all the time. They're willing to do whatever it takes to help the team be better than we were the previous year. They've been doing a really good job of making sure that they're keeping each other accountable."

On defense, the Bobcats return most of their players from a year ago, including Mueller and junior Olivia Hall (Boston), while sophomore Clare McGeever (Berlin, Conn.) slides down from the midfield to the defensive side of the ball. 

With the graduation of Cammie Lavoie '23, the Bobcats have to find a new starting goalkeeper, with junior Avery Lehman (Portsmouth, N.H.), sophomore Raegan White (Duxbury, Mass.), and first-year Abigail Ziehl (Bloomington, Minn.) competing for playing time.

Dowd is looking forward to the opportunity for Bates to compete against a nationally ranked team right out of the gate.

"It's very exciting to play someone that's really competitive outside of our conference," Dowd said. "We're looking to really show them what we can do and hopefully come out with a win. "But we're just really excited to compete hard, compete together as a family."