LEWISTON, Maine - It took all of 16 seconds for the Bowdoin College field hockey team to find the back of the net Saturday against Bates and the Polar Bears never looked back, cruising to an 8-1 win over the Bobcats.

The win is the 26th straight for Bowdoin (3-0, 2-0 NESCAC) over Bates (0-3, 0-3) dating back to 1985 and the seven goals are the largest margin of victory for the Polar Bears in the 37-year history of the rivalry.

Six different players scored for the 11th-ranked Polar Bears, led by two apiece from Katie Herter and Katie Riley. Ingrid Oelschlager got things going for Bowdoin, feeding Cathleen Smith upfield just moments into the game for a 1-0 lead at the 16-second mark. Junior Emily French notched her first career goal in the sixth minute and Herter added an unassisted goal less than a minute later to make it 3-0 Bowdoin. Oelschlager and Elizabeth Clegg also netted first-half scores before Herter found the back of the net again shortly after halftime.

After Lyndsay Beaton scored Bates' only goal in the 42nd minute, Bowdoin first-year Riley tallied her first two collegiate goals in the closing minutes. Jessie Small and Smith were credited with a pair of assists in the game for the Polar Bears.

Emily Neilson got the start in net for Bowdoin and was not forced to make a save. Kayla Lessard saw all of the action in the second period and made one save while permitting the lone goal. Katie McEnroe made 22 stops for the Bobcats in goal. Bowdoin out-shot Bates 49-5 and proved especially lethal on penalty corners, scoring five times off set plays in the win.