LEWISTON, Maine -- Coming off their first NCAA tournament appearance in program history, the No. 9 nationally ranked Bates field hockey team is hoping to build on that momentum this season, which begins Tuesday when the Bobcats visit the University of Southern Maine at 7 p.m.

Bates went 9-0 at home last year on their way to matching the program record for wins in one season with 13. 

"They know it's not going to be the same as last year and it's going to look different in many ways," head coach Dani Kogut said. "But I think some things that allow you to hopefully maintain success year after year is a commitment to training and being prepared for the season, which this group has done really well. They are fit, they're fast, they're ready."

The Bobcats are led by National Field Hockey Coaches Association Second Team All-American senior Anna Cote (New Gloucester, Maine), who was recently named to the NFHCA's watch list for 2024 honors based on her outstanding 2023 campaign, which saw Cote score a team-high 12 goals and dish out three assists.

"Anna is just one of those players who's always rocked in, and she's able to capitalize on not only her teammates' successes, but also her opponents' mistakes, and create opportunities for herself," Kogut said. "She's a really hard worker, leads in the weight room, leads in the work she does off the field. She's just somebody who values the game of field hockey and values being a Bobcat."

Meanwhile, seniors Anna Lindeis (New Canaan, Conn.) and Amanda Zerbib (Larchmont, N.Y.) will serve as the team's captains this season. Lindeis tallied eight goals and two assists last year while Zerbib anchored the Bobcat defense, starting 14 games for a unit that ranked fourth in the NESCAC in goals allowed per contest. 

"Amanda is such a key player for us and she's somebody that when you're listening, it's her voice that you hear more times than not," Kogut said. "She prepares really well for the game and is able to anticipate multiple potential circumstances coming our way defensively. Then there's Anna Lindeis who plays the inner position right next to Anna Cote, and the two of them have held down that position since their first year here and they just play brilliantly together. They kind of have an unspoken ability to just know where the other's going to be and where each other's strengths are."

Senior Maria Femia (Canton, Mass.) provides more offensive firepower, having matched Lindeis with eight goals and two assists last year. Femia also delivered a moment that will live forever in the annals of Bates athletics when she scored in double overtime to beat rival Bowdoin in the NESCAC quarterfinals, played on Halloween in front of a packed house at Campus Avenue Field.

"Maria is looking ready to go," Kogut said. "Her speed, her tenacity, her ability to put a lot of pressure on our opponent, and then of course her ability to move really quickly on sharp angles and find her way into the attacking circle are keys for her." 

Juniors Brooke Moloney-Kolenberg (Winchester, Mass.) and Lucy Norris (Chicago, Ill.) flank Femia at forward.

"Maria has a great group of forwards around her," Kogut said. "We've had some returners who saw minutes last year, but didn't necessarily have a starting spot, come back ready to go. Brooke looks awesome. Lucy looks awesome. Some first-years are ready to step on the field as well. So we're excited about the forward line."

Defensively, junior Summer Gordon (North Andover, Mass.) steps into a starting role alongside Zerbib, and junior Kaili Jacobsen (Fairfield, Conn.) is back at goalkeeper for the Bobcats.

"Kaili is looking great," Kogut said. "And then first-year Ava Donohue (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) joined us. The two of them already have a really strong bond, and there's something special about goalies. They know that on game day, likely just one's going to play, but right away from the first practice, they're each other's biggest advocates and just cheering each other on."

Kogut led the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2023, and this season sees the return of Kelly McManus '12 to Bates as an assistant coach.

"Kelly's pure joy of being a Bobcat and her love for this place is so special," Kogut said. "And as Ian (Wagge) and I, we didn't go here, we feel that in our day-to-day, and you feel it in the community. But to really see somebody embody that makes you realize that it's really real. It's not just a feeling. So that's pretty cool."