Hamilton College's Keeley Duran '22 scored early in the third quarter and goalkeeper Maggie Reville '22 made the goal stand up as the Continentals defeated the Bates College Bobcats 1-0 in NESCAC action at Bates' Campus Avenue Field on Saturday afternoon.

Hamilton (2-0, 1-0 NESCAC) received votes in the Division III preseason coaches poll but after today's win against nationally ranked No. 20 Bates as well as a double overtime victory at RPI on Thursday night, the Continentals may find themselves ranked in the first regular season Top 20 poll. This marked the ninth straight meeting between the teams decided by one goal.

The Bobcats (1-1, 0-1) cruised to a 7-1 win over the University of Southern Maine in their season opener on Sept. 7. Bates held a 12-8 shot advantage and was awarded seven penalty corners to three for the Continentals.

Hamilton converted on its first penalty corner with 11:48 left in the third quarter. Lexi Takashima '22 inserted the ball from the right side of the cage to Hannah Dillon '24 and Dillon passed across to Duran. She controlled the pass, turned and swept a backhand shot that somehow eluded the traffic in front as well as goalkeeper Grace Biddle (three saves) 3:18 into the second half. Duran's goal is the first of her collegiate career and Dillon's assist is her first point.

The stars of the rest of the game were Reville and the Continentals' defense. Reville stopped all three shots on goal she faced in the first half and finished with five saves for her third career shutout at Hamilton. Her kick save on a shot off a penalty corner with 4:54 left in the fourth quarter preserved the slim lead. The Continentals blocked two shots on four Bates penalty corners in the final 13 minutes.

Hamilton had several good chances to make things easier on Reville. The Continentals' first shot late in the first quarter banged off the left post. Less than a minute into the second quarter, an aggressive rush up the field and two slick passes resulted in a great scoring chance for Emma Liebegott '22, but Biddle made a diving save. Less than two minutes after Duran's goal, a Reville save started a counterattack that eventually led to Tracey Stafford '23 going one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Biddle had to sprint off her line to stop the ball before the two collided, resulting in a penalty corner.

Hamilton returns to Goodfriend Field for a non-conference game with St. Lawrence University on Thursday, Sept. 16 at 5 p.m. -- the Continentals' first home contest since 2019.