Box Score

WENHAM, Mass. – The Nichols College field hockey team closed the regular season with a 5-0 loss at Gordon College in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Wednesday night.

The loss drops the Bison to 6-12 (6-5 CCC) and leaves their postseason hopes in limbo as the remaining games on the CCC slate play out. The Bison need help from Western New England (at Endicott) and Gordon (at Salve Regina) on Saturday if they hope to return to the conference tournament.

The Fighting Scots (14-5, 9-2 CCC) were led by Karli and Bailey Balmer (Perkasie, Pa.), who were involved in all five goals. Gordon controlled the pace of play from the beginning of the game, quickly putting Nichols junior keeper Molly Melanson (Simsbury, Conn.) to work. After putting up six saves in the early minutes, Katherine Bailey (Baltimore, Md.) broke the seal with her seventh goal of the year to end the scoreless tie and send the home team to the locker room up by one.

The Scots came out blazing in the second half, netting their second goal of the game less than two minutes after the half. Courtney Scott (Herndon, Pa.) added her 28th goal of the season off of a cross from Karli Balmer – her second assist of the night.

Eight minutes later, Karli Balmer found herself on the other end of the scoring play as she and Scott reversed roles. Scott found the ball in her vicinity off of a penalty corner from Sarah Shannon (Chatham, N.J.). She took a second to think about a shot before pawning the ball off on Balmer, who finished the play with a loud thump against the back of the goal box.

Gordon continued to press the Bison defense, and it added to its lead in the 49th minute. Scott scored her second goal of the night on a pass from Bailey Balmer, which somehow squirted through the middle of the field and to stick of Scott. Karli Balmer finished off the scoring in the 62nd minute on a deflected shot, blasting the ball just inside the scoring arch.

Anny Bury (Huntingtown, Md.) and Shannon Hicks (Scarborough, Maine) split time in goal for the Scots, making two saves in the team's fourth shutout of the year. Melanson finished the evening with 13 saves.

Junior Avery Orszulak (Springfield, Mass.) had three of the Bison's four shots on the evening, compared to 19 for Gordon.

Gordon closes its regular season on Saturday with a trip to Newport, R.I. to take on Salve Regina. 

Contributions from Gordon sports information