The fifth seeded Nichols College field hockey team advanced to the Commonwealth Conference semifinals with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory at fourth-seeded Gordon College on Monday afternoon. The win was Nichols first CCC Tournament victory since 2000 as it avenged a 7-1 loss at Gordon in last season's tournament. Freshman Sara Bailey (Athol, MA) scored the game-winning goal for the Bison with 5:56 remaining as they move on to face top-seeded New England College, a team they nearly upset in last week's CCC regular season finale, on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

Facing a 2-0 deficit just 15 minutes into the game, the Bison came back with a vengeance, cutting the Fighting Scots lead down to one with a goal off a deflection by CCC Rookie of the Week Emily Stearns (Mansfield, MA) in the 23rd minute.

Freshman MaryKate Bednarz (Springfield, MA) turned away 11 first half shots by Gordon as it fired off 15 total shots to Nichols five. The Fighting Scots continued to attack in the second half but Bednarz was there to stop all nine of Gordon's shots on net.

With under 15 minutes left to play and still down 2-1, the Bison picked up their offensive intensity and no sooner did they cash in with a goal by senior Kari Harvey (Nantucket, MA) at the 55:15 mark despite being a man down due to a green card. Stearns earned the assist on the tying goal while the goal was Harvey's fifth in the last two games.

Knowing the season was on the line, Nichols kept up the pressure as Bailey beat Gordon keeper Chyanne Wilson off a rebound in the 65th minute to keep the 2006 season alive for the Bison. Bailey has now scored six goals in the last five games for Nichols as she leads the team with 11 total goals this season.

Third seeded Salve Regina defeated sixth seeded University of New England 5-4 in double overtime in the second CCC Quarterfinal game on Monday as it advances on to play second-seeded Endicott on Wednesday.

The victory comes on the same day freshmen Maria Kauker (Bellingham, MA) and Emily Stearns (Mansfield, MA) earned CCC weekly honors as Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively. Each notched a goal and an assist in a big 8-0 win over Elms in the team's last regular season game on Oct. 25.