DUDLEY, Mass. (4/25/24) – The 2024 postseason has arrived for the Nichols College women's lacrosse team, who heads north to the University of New England for the Commonwealth Coast Conference quarterfinal round on Saturday, April 27
th. The game will be held at Blue Bolt Stadium, with the opening draw set for a 1:00 PM start.
The full CCC tournament layout can be viewed
here.
All-time, the Bison are 2-13 against the Nor'easters, who won the lone matchup this season by a 14-10 score. Nichols last defeated UNE on April 2
nd, 2022.
Nichols is making its fifth CCC postseason appearance and is seeking its first ever Conference Championship title in program history. The Bison, who set new program records for single season wins (12), consecutive wins (10) and best start to a season (10-0), enter the field with a 12-5 overall record and a 3-4 mark in conference play.
The Nor'easters own a 6-9 overall record this season, and a 4-3 mark against conference opponents.
Who to Watch: Junior midfielder
Hadley Houghton leads the Bison into the weekend matchup leading the conference in both goals scored (81) and goals per game (4.76). The unsung defensive leader for Nichols is junior captain
McKenzie Muir, who ranks second in the conference in ground balls per game () and caused turnovers per game (). Sophomore goalkeeper
Briar Slattery has been the go-to in goal this season, and enters the matchup with a 10-5 record, 11.50 goals against average, and a .395 save percentage.
Guiding the Nor'easters into the matchup is sophomore midfielder Sydney Balotin, who leads the team in points (48) with 34 goals and 14 assists. Junior attacker Morgan White equally has scored 34 goals this season, alongside six assists for 40 points. Balotin, along with senior captain Elizabeth Guertin, has contributed significantly to UNE's defensive game, as both players have combined for 62 ground balls and 52 caused turnovers. Freshman Jenna Tafford, the expected starting goalkeeper, owns a 5-9 record with a .337 save percentage and 12.81 goals against average.
