LEWISTON, Maine -- Sophomore Elsa Copeland scored in the 33rd minute and the No. 4 nationally ranked Bates field hockey team blanked No. 25 Amherst 1-0 in the second round of the NCAA tournament Saturday morning at Campus Ave. Field.

With the win, the Bobcats (16-3) advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the second straight season. They'll take on No. 6 Tufts (16-3) Sunday at 1 p.m. with a trip to the Final Four on the line. 

Saturday's 1-0 victory is the ninth shutout of the year recorded by the Bobcats, which ties the program record for most shutouts in one season. The 1983 and 1978 Bates field hockey teams also recorded nine shutouts. 

With the game scoreless, Bates earned three straight penalty corners to begin the third quarter. The third one proved to be the charm. Sophomore Caroline Nowak (Pelham, N.Y.) delivered the insert to the left side of the circle and junior Amy LaBelle (Barrington, R.I.) ripped a shot towards the cage that deflected off Copeland's stick and into the chest of Amherst goalie Grace Puchalski. Copeland (Toronto, Ontario) tried a shot off the rebound that Puchalski denied, but once again Copeland got the rebound and this time she found the back of the cage, slipping the ball past a diving Puchalski for her seventh goal of the season.

The game was a defensive struggle throughout, with Amherst tallying seven shots (three on goal) in defeat and Bates recording just four shots (three on goal) in the victory. 

Each team earned one penalty corner in the first half and after Copeland's goal neither team earned a penalty corner the rest of the day. 

Amherst's lone penalty corner came in the 24th minute but they were unable to get a shot off. 

The Mammoths (9-9) turned the pressure up in the 53rd minute, forcing sophomore Ava Donohue (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) to make back-to-back saves on shots from Genevieve Caruso and Justine Liguori. Then they emptied their net in the 56th minute, but the Bates defense held strong for their fourth straight shutout.

Sunday's game against Tufts is a rematch of last year's NCAA quarterfinal contest that saw the Jumbos win 2-1 in overtime. However, that game took place in Medford, Mass. while this one will happen on Campus Ave. Field. The Bobcats sport a record of 25-4 over the past three seasons at home. With a victory, Bates would earn a spot in the Final Four for the first time in program history.