PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Nichols College women's soccer team was defeated by Johnson & Wales (RI) University 5-0 Saturday afternoon in non-conference action at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Outdoor Athletic Complex.

Freshman Emily McClarnon (Wakefield, R.I.) netted her first collegiate goal just seven minutes into the match to out the home team ahead 1-0. Junior Alexa Appelman (Marlboro, N.J.) and freshman Sydney Deluce (Pittsfield, Mass.) picked up assists on the play.

JWU pushed its lead to 2-0 at 16:50 as sophomore Liza Marinaro (Palo Alto, Calif.) used a pass from McClarnon to score her first of the season. McClarnon's second goal of the afternoon came off a pass by junior Maggie Castle (Andover, N.J.) with 23 minutes left in the half.

In the second half, the Wildcats extended their lead to 4-0 on junior Kayla Sypek's (Westhampton, Mass.) goal off a pass from Megan Dockweiler (Wantagh, N.J.) at 55:30. McClarnon's third of the afternoon less than two minutes later capped the scoring. The Wildcats outshot the Bison 14-13.

Junior Sarah Whitestone (Dalton, Mass.) made six saves for Nichols while sophomore Cassie Collins (Oswego, N.Y.) made five saves for the Wildcats.

The Bison return to action on Thursday with a 7 p.m. contest at Coast Guard. The Wildcats head to Westfield State on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. contest.

Contributions from Johnson & Wales (RI) sports information