After a season full of ups and downs, the Colby field hockey walked off the field on a high note with a big win over the Bates College Bobcats. Colby finished with a 6-8 overall record and a 2-7 record in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play. Close conference matchups, including five one-goal games and two matches that went into overtime, was the story of the season. Even the finale was bittersweet. Although the team beat Bates, Colby's future was out of its control. Colby missed making it to the NESCAC playoffs because of a Wesleyan win over Connecticut College, guaranteeing the final playoff spot to the Cardinals.

The last game was a blending of old and new. In their last game wearing the Colby uniform, the class of 2010 had a major impact on the final score. Both Ashley Wagner '10 and Meghan Saccone '10 recorded assists. At the same time, Colby showed off its youth as a junior and a sophomore scored the two goals.

Colby recorded a 2-1 win over the Bobcats after striking twice in the first half and then playing tough defense for the remainder of the game to fend off the Bobcats' counterattack. Colby opened the scoring just two minutes into the match as Heather Quadir '11 found the back of the net off of a great pass from Wagner and an assist from Kelly Roth '12. Quadir has proven herself to be the offensive power to be reckoned with this season, scoring a team leading nine goals over the course of the season, despite missing minutes due to injury in several games.

Hannah O'Brien '12 added what was the insurance goal of the game, with a little less than 15 minutes left to play in the first half. Saccone came close to scoring the goal herself, but it was the deflection off O'Brien's stick that finally got the ball into the back of the net. Saccone added one more assist to her season tally, ending with a team-leading six assists as well as three goals.

The Bobcats, who were looking for their first conference win of the season, showed great fighting spirit, battling back to score a goal in the second half. In the end the Colby defense proved to have just enough to hang on for the win, finishing out the game without giving up another goal. As she has the entire season, Liz Fontaine '11 played tough all 70 minutes in goal, recording four saves and fending off 15 shots from the Bates team.

Colby is looking forward to next season as many of the key starters will be returning. This includes Quadir, who led the team in goals, and Fontaine, who played every minute this season in goal for the Mules. Hopefully, with these key experienced players, Colby will improve its conference record next season and make it into the playoffs.