Box Score

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Senior Molly Melanson (Simsbury, Conn.) made 19 saves in Nichols College's 4-0 loss at MIT in non-conference field hockey action Thursday night at Jack Barry Field.

A pair of first-half goals by sophomore Tate DeWeese (Towson, Md.) helped the Engineers improve to 4-0 on the year while the Bison saw their ledger dip to 2-3. 

MIT controlled possession during the first six minutes of the game but Nichols fended off four penalty corners and four shots. A few minutes later, Nichols senior Lindsey Rappazzo (Mashpee, Mass.) was almost in a one-on-one situation with junior goalie Paige Kennedy (Eastchester, N.Y.), but she could not corral the loose ball as Kennedy kicked it away.

Following a pair of penalty corners by the Engineers, Rappazzo nearly put the Bison on the board with a quick strike; however, Kennedy knocked the attempt in midair with her stick. The visitors kept the pressure on with a penalty corner and a shot from senior Avery Orszulak (Springfield, Mass.). The Cardinal and Gray responded by ending the scoreless affair at the 14:51 mark. Senior Caitlin Mackey (San Diego, Calif.) initiated a fast break along the far side, drew Melanson off her line, and sent a quick feed through the arc to DeWeese, who managed to slip it under a diving Melanson to the far post.

The Engineers continued to attack as DeWeese redirected a feed from freshman Emily Penn (Elkridge, Md.) during a scramble in front of the cage eight minutes later. Penn then pushed the lead to 3-0 as she knocked in a ball that was lofted by junior Molly McNamara (Auburn, Mass.) with 5:16 left in the frame. Both sides made charges to the net down the stretch but Kennedy and Melanson thwarted the attempts.

Like the early stages of the first half, the Bison defense withstood the relentless charge of the Engineers front line as Melanson tallied 11 saves through 20 minutes of action in the second stanza. MIT ended its scoring drought shortly thereafter on a strike by sophomore Krishna Jaitly (Bethesda, Md.) from the far side of the arc.

Nichols created some momentum late in regulation as a shot by Orszulak resulted in its second penalty corner of the frame. Following the restart, senior Kaylee McNamara (Watertown, Mass.) put a shot on net with 52 second to go but it was turned away by junior goalie Evie Kyritsis (Mountain Lakes, N.J.).

Kennedy registered two saves in the first half as Kyritsis made three stops in relief for the Engineers. Melanson's 19 saves was one shy of her career high.

Nichols heads to UNE for a rematch of last season's Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Semifinal match Saturday at 2 p.m. MIT visits Lasell Tuesday.

Courtesy of MIT sports informaton