The Bates women’s soccer team wasted no time Wednesday night making a statement in its home opener against Thomas College, shutting the Terriers out 8-0. This improves their record 2-1after a 2-0 loss to Trinity last Saturday.
Friends and families of players from both Bates and Thomas filled the stands, showing their support for the teams that took the field.
Five Bobcats scored their first career goals, including two from forward Sydney Walker ’29.
“Scoring those goals was awesome, but it’s really about how we came together as a team,” Walker said. “We moved the ball and trusted each other, and that’s what made a difference in the game.”
Along with Walker, six more Bobcats found the back of the net. Within the first half alone, forward Eleanor Martin ‘28 scored within the first ten minutes, slipping past the Terrier’s keeper, and finishing from the right side. Soon after, Nikki Boyd ‘28 capitalized on a loose ball at the top of the box, setting the stage for Walker’s back to back strikes that sent Bates up 4-0 at halftime.
Coming out of the half, the Bobcats matched their intensity in the first half, keeping their defensive grit and offensive aggression intact.
Midfielder Rachel Suh ‘27 scored off a cross pass from defender Lanie Riddle ‘29. Suh had an impressive season last year, earning titles such as NESCAC player of the week after Bates started the season 2-0 and making ESPN SportCenter’s Top 10 Plays of the Day after one of her assists secured a win over Husson 4-1.
Shortly after, defender Ruby Hill ‘27 scored her first goal of the season off an assist from Martin, keeping the momentum.
To close out the win, Riddle recorded another assist to midfielder Nicole Tandetnitskiy ‘27, who netted her first goal of the season. In the final moments of the game, senior captain Samantha Bunar, typically a goalie, but currently playing as a defender, scored in the 80th minute off a through pass from Aurora Rella-Neill ‘29, who recorded her first career mark.
The Bobcats’ underclassmen played a key role in this dominant performance, signaling an optimistic future for the program
Mikayla Vitiello ‘27, a spectating student said, “They’ve been building up a good team for awhile. And also, the group of freshmen that just came in are really really good.”
Bates totaled 42 shots, 20 of which were shots on goal, while their defense kept Thomas contained, preventing the Terriers from taking a single shot throughout the 90 minute matchup.
In the 2024 season, Bates finished second to last in the NESCAC conference, just ahead of Bowdoin. The win against Thomas came as no surprise as Bowdoin also beat them 9-1, September 3.
For their home opener, however, the Bobcats showed who they were, playing with passion and companionship, with first years working with their upperclassmen leaders to get the job done.
