Nichols Defeats Field Hockey
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Nichols (3-4) | 2 | 2 | 4 |
|
Elms (1-5) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)
CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College field hockey team fell to visiting Nichols College, 4-1, in a non-conference contest at Leary Field Thursday night. The Blazers slide to 1-5 overall, while Nichols improves to a 3-4 record.
After nearly ten minutes of scoreless play, the Bison capitalized on a penalty corner. On the ensuing attempt, Elms goalie Jillian Lapponese (Enfield, Conn.) stopped a pair of shots by Nichols, but an attempt from Bison senior Brianna Kilborn (North Brookfield, Conn.) was deflected in front and junior Courteney White (Orange, Mass.) tucked a shot inside the far post to hand Nichols a 1-0 lead.
With just over nine minutes remaining in the first half, White played a ball through the Blazers zone to the far side, where freshman Dana Edwards (Georgetown, Mass.) received the pass and fired a shot on net. Lapponese denied the first attempt, but Edwards grabbed the rebound, forced a second attempt, which was deflected and landed at the feet of sophomore Erin Kelley (Dighton, Mass.), who tipped a shot past Lapponese to give the Bison a 2-0 advantage. Nichols held a 2-0 leading heading into halftime.
Less than two minutes into the second half, Edwards secured a loose ball in the Blazers zone, dribbled through the Elms defense and ripped a shot into the back of the cage, staking the Bison to a 3-0 lead. The Blazers cracked the scoreboard in the 53rd minute as freshman Carissa Ramirez (San Diego, Calif.) ripped a one-timer off a feed from junior Madison Messier (Warren, Mass.) on a penalty corner attempt to trim the deficit to 3-1. Edwards registered a hat trick with a final tally in the 69th minute to send Nichols to the 4-1 win.
The Bison outshot the Blazers, 23-8, during the contest. Lapponese matched a career-high with 14 saves, while Nichols sophomore Brooke Misbach (Guilford, Conn.) made three saves in the win.
The Blazers will return to action when they open up New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) play at Bay Path Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Nichols travels to Gordon College for a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) contest Saturday at Noon.
ELMS FIELD HOCKEY
