BIDDEFORD, Maine (4/5/2025) – It was a fierce battle between the Nichols women's lacrosse team and conference host University of New England Saturday afternoon, with the Nor'easters narrowly beating the Bison, 11-10 in overtime at Blue Bolt Field.
With the loss, the Bison drop to 8-2 (2-2 CNE), while the Nor'easters improve to 5-6 (3-1 CNE) with the win.
Houghton pieced together a six-point performance to lead the afternoon, scoring four goals with a pair of assists.
Makala Dube also pitched in offensively, scoring three goals with one assist for four points against the Nor'easters, while senior
McKenzie Muir paced the offense with three caused turnovers, and four ground balls.
Emma Patton won the draw for Nichols, securing seven total draw controls, officially bringing her total to 100 across her collegiate career.
Junior goalkeeper
Briar Slattery (8-2) made five saves in the loss.
The Bison found themselves trailing the Nor'easters 3-2 through one quarter played, with Dube supplying both goals of the frame. However, the Bison opened it up in the second quarter, outscoring the Nor'easters by a 6-3 margin to give themselves two-goal, 8-6 edge at the half. Houghton kicked off the quarter with a man-down goal at 13:36, which transitioned into a four-goal quarter for the senior, while
Sienna Reeves added her first of the day on a free-position shot at 12:28. Patton rounded out the Bison scoring for the half, netting her 26
th of the season at 9:16, unassisted.
The teams matched each other with one goal apiece in the third quarter, with Nichols' lone strike belonging to Dube off a pass from Houghton, completing her hat trick performance. With Nichols leading 9-7 entering the fourth, UNE inched closer with a goal at the 13:37 mark, but a Reeves free-position goal at 9:53 soon restored Nichols' two-goal lead, 10-8. The two goals were not enough to hold the Bison till the end, as UNE battled back to tie the score at 10-10, forcing overtime.
The Nor'easters emerged the victory in the overtime period, scoring the game winner 1:10 into the frame.
Women's Lacrosse returns home to Vendetti Field for their "Think Pink" game against the University of Hartford (6-5, 2-2 CNE), with the conference showdown beginning at 4:00 PM.
