MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- The No. 6 nationally ranked Bates field hockey team surrendered a pair of goals to No. 10 Middlebury in the first quarter on Saturday and the Panthers made those tallies hold up, defeating the Bobcats 2-1 in NESCAC action.

Middlebury (10-4, 6-3 NESCAC) got on the board in the 10th minute of action. The Bobcats (11-3, 6-3 NESCAC) had just fended off a pair of penalty corners -- including a particularly good save by sophomore goalkeeper Ava Donohue (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) on a shot by Middlebury's Megan Fuqua -- when Hadley Crowther was able to find Addie Chandler with a pass from the end line to the middle of the shooting area. Chandler turned and delivered a shot into the left side of the cage for a 1-0 Panther lead.

The seven-time defending NCAA Division III champions added to their lead in the 13th minute. Emma McCann delivered the insert on a penalty corner and the Panthers worked it back to her at the far post, with Chandler getting the assist on McCann's goal. 

The Bobcats got outshot 9-1 in the first half, but they did take advantage of their one shot, finding the back of the cage in the 17th minute.

Sophomore Caroline Nowak (Pelham, N.Y.) delivered the insert on the first penalty corner of the game for Bates and senior captain Brooke Moloney-Kolenberg (Winchester, Mass.) made a sweet behind-the-back pass to junior captain Haley Dwight (West Newbury, Mass.). Dwight fed the ball back towards Nowak at the post and Nowak directed it home for her fourth goal of the season.

Down 2-1 at halftime, the Bobcats threatened but did not score over the final 30 minutes of action. In the 60th minute, Middlebury's Grace Keefe saved the day for the Panthers, making a pair of defensive saves on Bates shots that had beaten Middlebury keeper Izzy Redzic, who made one save of her own in the contest. Donohue finished the game with five saves for the Bobcats.

Middlebury finished the game with 14 shots, seven on goal, while Bates tallied five shots, four on goal. The Panthers earned eight penalty corners to three for the Bobcats.

Bates is currently in a four-way tie for second place in the NESCAC standings with Middlebury, Wesleyan, and Williams, with one regular season game remaining. The Bobcats host Colby Tuesday at 6 p.m. and have a good chance of earning the two seed in the upcoming conference tournament if they can defeat the Mules.