SALEM, Mass. (3/19/2025) – The Nichols College women's lacrosse team is off to a 6-0 start for the second straight season after a 12-3 victory over non-conference host Salem State University on Wednesday night at Alumni Field.

The Bison now stand tall at 6-0 on the season, while the Vikings drop to 4-2 with the loss.

Emma Patton led all players with six points in the win, scoring four goals with a pair of assists. Makala Dube added in three goals, the second hat trick of her collegiate career, while Sienna Reeves scored twice. Hadley Houghton helped out on the defensive side of the ball, chalking up nine ground balls and six caused turnovers, both of which were game-high totals. Nichols out-shot the Vikings by an overwhelming 37-11 margin, which included a 24-6 difference in deliveries.

Briar Slattery (6-0) earned the win in goal, making three saves on her 11 shots faced.

The Bison defense held Salem State scoreless through the first quarter, while the offense found the back of the net four times. Kristen Ruby was the first on the board for the Bison less than two minutes into the game, before Patton made it a 2-0 score with her first of the afternoon at 7:51 of the period, with both goals coming unassisted. The remaining two goals belonged to Dube, with assists from Macy Abrams and Gabriella Mandirola at 6:04 and 00:32 of the quarter, respectively.

After a Salem State goal made the score 4-1, the Bison quickly answered to make it 5-1 in the second stanza with Paige Alexander's fourth goal of the season, courtesy of a net front pass by Patton. In an effort to try and spark some offense, the Vikings added a second goal less than three minutes later, but soon found themselves back in a four-goal deficit as Ruby connected with Patton for a man-up strike in the final minute of the half, sending the Bison to the locker room leading 6-2.  

Out of the break, Nichols broke the game open in the third frame, outscoring the Vikings by another 4-0 margin to further their lead to 10-2. Patton sparked the third quarter surge with the final two goals of her four-goal performance, while Reeves claimed the first-of-two for herself with the Bison a man-down at the 11:50 mark.  

The rest of the way, Dube, Reeves and Cali Melo all poured on additional goals, putting the visitors in command with a running clock midway through the fourth quarter, leading up to the eventual 12-3 victory.

Women's Lacrosse returns home to Vendetti Field for its Staff and Faculty Appreciation game against Wentworth Institute of Technology (4-2, 0-0 CNE) on Wednesday, March 26^th. Opening draw is set for 4:00 PM in Nichols' first CNE showdown of the season.