Box Score

Dudley, Mass.- The Nichols field hockey team posted its third straight shutout, defeating MIT 6-0 on Tuesday at Vendetti Field. The win was a Bison first since the 2001 season against the Engineers, who took a 7-1 win in last year's meeting. Junior Lauren Pettoruto (Windham, N.H.) scored a hat trick for Nichols, tallying three goals in the victory. The Bison, off to their best start since the 2000 season, are now 4-1 overall while MIT falls even at 3-3.

Pettoruto scored the first two goals of the game, both off corner, the first taken by sophomore Emily Stearns (Mansfield, Mass.) and the second by freshman MaryKate Frodema (Springfield, Mass.). Freshman Samantha Lacerra (Watertown, Mass.) gave the Bison a 3-0 lead two minutes before halftime with her second goal of the year. Nichols out-shot MIT 20-0 in the half with senior Alex Herman (Suffern, N.Y.) making 13 saves.

Pettoruto completed the hat trick 3:42 into the second stanza when she scored an unassisted goal. Sophomore Sarah Bailey (Athol, Mass.) closed out the scoring as she tallied her sixth and seventh goals of the year off passes from freshman Eileen Clinton (Londonderry, N.H.).

Nichols will continue non-conference action this Thursday when it hosts WPI at 7 p.m.