Box Score

DUDLEY, Mass. - Senior Emily Widdison (Greenfield, Mass.) potted her 11th goal of the season with 3:57 remaining in regulation to lift the Nichols College field hockey team to a 1-0 win over Western New England in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Friday evening at Vendetti Field.

The reigning CCC Offensive Player of the Week, Widdison sprinted the length of the field and let a shot go that snuck through the pads of Golden Bears senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Hall (Pawtucket, R.I.). The Bison took 18 penalty corners before tallying the only goal of the contest, compared to five for WNE.

“Western New England marked us well man-to-man, and we couldn't get our sticks on the ball and finish,” said Widdison of the team's first half. “We couldn't capitalize on our rebound opportunities. We were playing well and our defense was strong. There was no sigh of relief once I scored, but rather a sense of 'Don't let them score and force overtime.'”

Nichols held a 10-4 edge in shot at the break and a 9-2 edge in corners as Widdison and junior Amanda Broughton (Plymouth, Mass.) each took four shots. Widdison finished with a game-high nine shots while six different Golden Bears registered one shot each.

“Any win in the conference is big for us because there is so much parody,” said Bison head coach Kristen Mallet. “Western New England always plays us tough and we knew it would be a low scoring game. We had a lot of opportunities that we didn't capitalize on, so we were hoping they wouldn't sneak one in on us. Emily Widdison came through for us like the very compose senior that she is, so that was pretty sweet.”

Sophomore Molly Melanson (Simsbury, Conn.) needed to make two saves to earn her fourth win of the season and second shutout (one shared). Hall recorded seven saves in defeat to fall to 2-5.  

The Bison return to action on Tuesday when they travel to WPI for a 7 p.m. contest. Western New England hosts Elms Tuesday at 7 p.m.