DUDLEY, Mass. – The Nichols College women's lacrosse team dropped a conference matchup to Western New England, 20-8, Saturday afternoon at Vendetti Field.

With the loss, the Bison move to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in CNE play, while the Golden Bears improve to 8-6 and 4-3 in conference action.

The Bison offense was led by Kaylyn Bourque, who recorded a game-high four goals to go along with two assists and four draw controls. Gabriella Mandirola and Macy Abrams each added two goals, with Abrams also contributing an assist. Makala Dube chipped in with a helper, while the Bison totaled 28 ground balls in the effort. In goal, Briar Slattery made eight saves while collecting four ground balls.

Western New England came out with intensity in the opening quarter, controlling possession early and capitalizing on their opportunities. The Golden Bears rattled off four straight goals in a three-minute stretch to take a commanding 4-0 lead. Nichols found a spark midway through the quarter as Abrams put the Bison on the board with an unassisted tally, followed shortly by a well-connected finish from Mandirola off a feed from Bourque. Despite the brief momentum swing, Western New England answered quickly, closing the quarter on a 3-0 run to take a 7-2 advantage after one.

In the second quarter, Nichols began to settle in offensively, generating more consistent looks on net. Abrams struck again off an assist from Makala Dube, and Bourque added back-to-back unassisted goals to keep the Bison within striking distance. However, the Golden Bears continued to respond to every push, using efficient ball movement and a man-up goal to maintain control. Western New England edged the quarter and carried a 10-5 lead into halftime.

Coming out of the break, Nichols showed resilience and urgency, putting together one of their strongest stretches of the game. Mandirola converted on a man-down opportunity off another assist from Bourque, and Bourque followed with her third goal of the game to cut the deficit to five at 12-7. The Bison defense forced a few key turnovers during this stretch, but Western New England regained momentum late in the third, scoring twice in the final minutes to extend their lead to 14-7 heading into the fourth.

Bourque opened the final quarter with a free-position goal to bring Nichols back within six, but the Golden Bears proved too much down the stretch. Western New England capitalized on multiple possessions, including another man-up opportunity, and closed the game on a dominant 6-0 run. Despite continued effort on both ends, the Bison were unable to slow the surge as the Golden Bears secured the 20-8 victory.

The Bison will look to bounce back as they return to action in their next conference matchup where they take on the Gulls of Endicott College at the Hempstead Stadium on Tuesday, April 14th at 7:00 PM.