Box Score DUDLEY, Mass. – The Nichols College women's soccer team edged Western New England College, 1-0, for its first The Commonwealth Coast Conference victory of the season Tuesday night at Vendetti Field. Senior captain Kaila Gray (Pembroke, N.H.) scored on a penalty kick in the first half to give Nichols the win.
Gray looked to put the Bison (4-3, 1-2-0 TCCC) on the board in the 16th minute with a direct kick from 20 yards out, but Golden Bears netminder Marti Blum (Huntington Valley, Pa.) made the save.
Just over a minute later, however, the senior placed a penalty kick past Blum, her second score of the season.
Western New England (2-6-0, 1-2-1 TCCC) had a chance to even the score three minutes later, but leading scorer Heather Mortell's (Webster, Mass.) shot missed just wide to the left.
Western New England outshot Nichols, 8-1, in the second half, and had its best chance in the 80th minute. Kristen Culver (Westhampton, Mass.) sent in a direct kick from almost 40 yards out, but Nichols goalkeeper Sarah Levesque (Ludlow, Mass.) jumped to grab the ball.
Levesque finished with six saves in her second shutout of the season. Blum stopped three Nichols shots in the loss.
Nichols is back in action on Thursday in a 4 p.m. home game against Becker. Western New England hosts Eastern Nazarene in a 1:30 p.m. TCCC game Saturday.
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