A new coach and a relatively new team that includes eight freshmen might not be expected to be ranked among the best in New England, but Bates College of Lewiston once again can boast of having a strong women’s soccer program as the Bobcats take an 8-1-1 record into a Wednesday contest at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, N.H.

First-year head coach Marti Kingsley’s squad, No. 6 in New England, includes just two seniors with seven juniors and two sophomores.

In a rebuilding mode for the past three years, Bates was 6-7-1 last year after having been 26-2-1 for the ’85 and ’86 seasons.

Kingsley brings stability to the program. She was head coach at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston for the past two years where she produced that program’s first winning team ever as MIT won the New-8 Conference. Kingley came to Bates to get out of the city and fully intends, she said, “to become a Maineiac.”

“I inherited a group of athletes who were frustrated because they hadn’t been as successful as they’d been in the past,” she said. “They’d had to make adjustments to coaching changes with three coaches in three years, so they just needed someone to help put it all together for them. There’s a great amount of talent on this team. Bates, the school and its reputation, is what attracted me. It was a very timely decision, not an easy one. I loved MIT, but I look at this as an advancement.”

Bates lost to Colby and tied Middlebury. But Kingsley said the real test comes over the next four games which include No. 2 Bowdoin and and No. 3 Connecticut College. “We’re very much focused on one game at a time, but going to the ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament) is always a possibility,” she said.

The team is without one offensive “star,” so scoring is well distributed. “Our defense works with our offense, and our offense works with our defense. We’re very much connected,” Kingsley said.

The two seniors starters are center midfielder and captain Leah Ciappenelli, who anchors the front line, and the fast and highly skilled Pam Kove at right back.

Junior starters include the Bobcats’ solid sweeper, Micaela Corkery; left midfielder Sarah Carothers; center midfielder Beth Widmann; and right midfielder Colleen O’Brien.

The lone sophomore starter is right forward Julie Ludden of Howland.

“She didn’t see much time as a freshman, so this is really her first year of college experience,” Kingsley said.

“She’s steadily improving. Julie has taken a lot of bumps and bruises, but she’s on the field for us most of every game. She’s a gritty player.”

In goal is another Mainer, Amy Brunner of Walpole. “Amy’s an impact player as a freshman,” Kingsley said. “She has only given up five goals this season and she has six shutouts.”

The remaining starters are also freshmen: Kim Howland at left back, Karen Tagliaferro at stopper back, and Jenna Maconochie at left forward.

Five Mainers play for Bates, and two who show promise are Laura Beardsley of Ellsworth, one of the first players off the bench, and Staci Nisbett of East Millinocket, who is coming along well, according to the coach. Brooke Orr of Cumberland is a reserve back/midfielder.

“Every team left on our schedule is tough, but the future looks good,” Kingsley said. “We graduate two very important players, but we do have talent.”