Box Score
BEVERLY, Mass. – The Nichols College field hockey team suffered a 2-1 overtime loss at Endicott College in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship Saturday afternoon at North Field.

Freshman Meghan Dombkowski (Sagaponack, N.Y.) scored her fourth goal of the season for the Bison (13-8) while sophomore Molly Melanson (Simsbury, Conn.) recorded five saves. Nichols outshot the Gulls 17-13 and held a 14-5 edge in corners.

Senior Taylor Matties (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) potted the game-winning goal 3:16 into overtime as the Gulls (15-4) captured the conference championship as well the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year. Last season, Endicott downed UNE in the finals behind an OT goal from Matties.

Saturday's victory did not come easily for Endicott, as Nichols (13-8) thoroughly dominated the first half, outshooting Endicott 12-3 while posting a 9-2 edge in penalty corners. The Bison took a 1-0 lead just over seven minutes into the contest on a shot from the top of the right circle by Dombkowski. The assist went to senior co-CCC Offensive Player of the Year Emily Widdison (Greenfield, Mass.), her ninth helper and CCC-high 55th point of the season.

The Gulls tied the game five minutes later when sophomore Kathryn Walker (Middlebury, Conn.) picked up the rebound of a shot by Hannah Thornberg (Oakland, Maine) and buried her fifth goal of the season.

From there, the teams played to a stalemate for the next hour, though Endicott put pressure on the Bison in the second half, outshooting the visitors 8-3. Both goalkeepers were kept busy during the game, with Endicott senior Taylor Teixeira (Exeter, N.H.) making 10 stops, including seven in the first half. The Bison also had goals called back in each half.

“We had some scoring chances that we didn't take advantage of,” said Nichols head coach Kristan Mallet. “We had two goals called back on it, and it seemed to deflate us. Those situations can make or break you. I thought we hung in there and dominated a large portion of the game. It was great game and I'd love to be on the winning side, but we know we played very well against a very good team.”     

Freshman Victoria Utter (Stafford Springs, Conn.) was credited with a defensive save for the Bison.

Contributions from Endicott Sports Information