Box Score DUDLEY, Mass. (Sept. 3) – Nichols College first year forward Avery Orszulak netted a goal and two assists as the Bison won their season opener, 4-2, over visiting Thomas College Saturday afternoon in front of a home crowd on Vendetti Field. Nichols starts off its year with a notch in the win column for the third-straight season, while the Terriers dip to 0-2.

Bison senior forward Krista-Jean Forand put Nichols on the board less than five minutes into the game in impressive fashion, collecting her own rebound off a defensive save by Thomas senior Cathleen Cloran and redirecting it into the net at 30:43.

Late in the half, Nichols junior Barbara Roy edged the Bison ahead with her first of two goals on the day. Jensen Hume got the play started with a pass to Orszulak in the circle from the far sidelines. The rookie rolled it farther in to Roy, who knocked it past Thomas netminder Sophia Sourgiadakis with 3:09 left in the stanza.

Carrying a 2-0 lead into the second half, Roy edged the Bison ahead by three on a similar set-up to her previous strike, this time started by senior Chelsea Correia (Seekonk, Mass.), who passed ahead to Orszulak before the newcomer tapped it to Roy for an arcing goal at 32:10.

Orszulak gave the Bison a 4-0 cushion with her first collegiate goal, an unassisted strike that careened off replacement goaltender Jasmine Bishop's arm and into the upper corner at 26:57.

Thomas rallied for two goals three minutes apart shortly thereafter, first from senior Brittany Moore and followed by a corner set goal by Kristin Masessa. Moore tipped a long pass from Ali Kriegel high past Bison first year goaltender Molly Melanson at 25:09 to put the Terriers on the board. Moore played in a corner to junior Miranda Tinsman, who carried it in briefly before passing to Masessa for the goal at 22:11.

Melanson turned aside nine shots for her first collegiate victory, while Sourgiadakis shouldered the loss for the Terriers with seven saves. Bishop stopped six shots in the second half.

Nichols held Thomas to just 15 shots overall, thanks in part to solid defensive games from sophomore Amanda Broughton and first year Kaylee McNamara. Their counterparts, Cloran and sophomore Lauren Hachey combined for four of the Terriers' five defensive saves on the Bison's 32 shots.

Nichols starts a three-game road trip Wednesday in a 4 p.m. game at Smith College. Thomas travels to Western Connecticut Sunday for a noon game.

Box Score