DUDLEY, Mass. (3/17/2026) - The Nichols College women's lacrosse team opened its 2026 Conference of New England (CNE) slate with an 18-4 victory over Gordon College on Tuesday afternoon at Vendetti Field.

The Bison improve to 3-1 (1-0 CNE) overall on the season, while Gordon falls to 0-4 (0-1 CNE).

Nichols pieced together a balanced and dominant offensive performance in the effort, led by seven points from first-year standout Kaylyn Bourque behind six goals and one assist, as well as a team-high three caused turnovers. Sophomore Macy Abrams was also present offensively with six points of her own, scoring a pair of goals and four assists. Classmate Angalisa Caceda scooped a game-high seven ground balls, while senior Emma Patton controlled a game-high six draws. In total, Nichols held advantages in shots (38-12), shots on goal (30-11), ground balls (27-21) and clears (12-of-14), in addition to forcing 23 Gordon turnovers.

In the cage, senior Briar Slattery (3-1) played the full 60 minutes and made eight saves for the win.

The Bison seized control from the start and never let up, netting three goals in the opening quarter to build a 3-1 lead. Junior Gabriella Mandirola started things off at 10:04 off a free position goal, followed by Abrams' first of the night just over two minutes later. After Gordon capitalized on their own free position shot at 6:37 to make it 2-1, Bourque closed out the quarter with an unassisted tally in the final minute of play.

Nichols amped up the pressure on in the second quarter, stretching their lead to 11-3 by halftime. Bourque poured on another three goals, all within a four-minute span, with the closer being assisted by senior Makala Dube. Then, Abrams cashed in for her second goal of the game off an Ali Vozzo setup from behind the goal, before an eighth strike made its way up on the board off a shot from Cali Melo, putting the Bison in complete control at 8-1. Gordon answered with back-to-back goals at 4:47 and 3:39 of the quarter, but ultimately surrendered another three goals to the hosts before the halftime horn from Vozzo, Bouque and Madelyne Trimble, with Abrams providing two assists throughout the run.

Out of the break, Nichols kept the streak alive with four unanswered goals in the third, which featured another two from Mandirola, Bourque's sixth of the game, and the first collegiate goal for sophomore Catherine Vetter. Entering the final period, the Bison kept charging on with three more uninterrupted goals, but the Fighting Scots would be the last team to score with 3:13 left in the game, finalizing the 18-4 final.

The Bison continue their conference schedule with an upcoming stop at Wentworth Institute of Technology (3-3, 0-1 CNE) on Saturday, March 21^st. Opening draw is set for 6:00 PM at Sweeny Field.