BEVERLY, Mass. (4/29/2025) - The No. 4 seeded Nichols College women's lacrosse team defeated No. 5 University of New England in the First Round of the 2025 Conference of New England Tournament, and will next face top-seeded Endicott College on Wednesday, April 30
th in the tournament Semifinal.
THE GAMEPLAN
- No. 4 Nichols College (13-3-1, 5-3-1 CNE) at No. 1 Endicott College (13-4, 9-0 CNE)
- Beverly, Massachusetts | Hempstead Stadium
- Wednesday, April 30
th | 4:00 PM
Live Stats |
Live Video
How The Bison Got Here: The Bison have a boatload of momentum at their back following their first-round victory over UNE this past weekend, which came by a final score of 14-13 in overtime. The victory was the first postseason win for the Bison in program history, in what was also their first ever home game in the conference playoffs.
Up to this point, the Bison have compiled a program-record 13 wins on the season, and enter Wednesday's matchup with a 13-3-1 (5-3-1 CNE) mark on the campaign. A win on Wednesday would send the Bison to their first ever conference championship.
The Bison offense continues to be one of their strongest assets, providing 15 or more goals in nine games this season, while owning a 225-174 scoring advantage against opposing teams this season. On the defensive side of the field, Nichols continues to rank first in the CNE in caused turnovers (206).
The Opponent: Endicott, the 2025 CNE Regular Season Champions, earned a bye through the first round of competition as the top-seeded squad, after completing their regular season with a 24-7 win over Gordon College on April 23
rd. The Gulls are in pursuit of their fifth consecutive appearance in the conference championship, and will also look to defend its title as the 2024 CCC Champions.
Endicott ranks first in the CNE in goals with 259, while holding opponents to the second lowest total of 169.
The two sides last met on April 1
st of this season, which was hosted by the Bison.
Who to Watch: Nichols showcased its scoring depth in their win on Saturday, with
Kristen Ruby, junior
Emma Patton and freshman
Sienna Reeves each scoring four goals in the effort. The overtime winner belonged to senior midfielder
Hadley Houghton, who continues to rank as the team leader in all statistical categories, including a tie in caused turnovers with classmate
McKenzie Muir.
Muir was also a standout player in Nichols' first round victory, totaling three caused turnovers and a team-high 11 draw controls.
Junior goalkeeper
Briar Slattery has backstopped the Bison as the go-to stater in net, owning a 12-3-1 overall record, a 10.15 goals against average and a .419 save percentage.
2025 CNE WOMEN'S LACROSSE TOURNAMENT
First Round – Saturday, April 26th
Game 1: #6 Western New England (6) at #3 University of Hartford (18) – FINAL
Game 2: #5 University of New England (13) at #4 Nichols College (14) – FINAL (OT)
Semifinals – Wednesday, April 30th
Game 3 #4 Nichols College at #1 Endicott College – 4:00 PM
Game 4: #3 University of Hartford at #2 Roger Williams University – 4:00 PM
Championship - Saturday, March 8
Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs Winner of Game 4 – Hosted by Highest Remaining Seed
