BIDDEFORD, Maine (Nov. 4) -- Third seed Nichols College grabbed a 2-0 lead early in the second half and held off a furious attack late by second-seeded University of New England for a 3-1 The Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship Tournament semifinal victory in field hockey action under the lights Wednesday.

The Bison built a 2-0 lead on a first-half goal by sophomore Lauren Correia (Seekonk, Mass.) and an early second-half tally by sister Chelsea Correia (Seekonk, Mass.).

From there, the Nor'easters turned up the offensive pressure, amassing huge advantages in shots (17-3) and penalty corners (14-0) over the final period.

Senior Taryn Flagg broke through at the 62:04 mark to pull UNE to within one (2-1), but a 69th minute goal by first-year Emily Widdison (Greenfield, Mass.) restored the two-goal margin and gave the Bison some insurance in the closing seconds.

Widdison finished with three points for the evening, setting up Lauren Correia's goal in the first frame.

Sophomore Krista-Jean Forand (Plymouth, Mass.) made seven saves to earn the win -- a program 17th for Nichols (17-3) -- and hold the nation's sixth-ranked scoring offense more than three goals under their season average.

Her counterpart, junior Ayla Nelson turned aside six shots for the Nor'easters (13-3). UNE, which had its nine-game win streak snapped, now awaits word on a possible ECAC Championship bid. The ECAC will release the pairings late Monday (Nov. 9).

The Bison advance to the Saturday's TCCC Championship game against No. 4 New England College, a 2-1 winner over top-seed Endicott College. Game time is set for 1 p.m. on Vendetti Field in Dudley, Mass.

Story courtesy UNE Sports Information

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