DUDLEY, Mass.– The Nichols College women's lacrosse team fell to Johnson & Wales (RI), 22-9, in their regular season finale Tuesday afternoon at Vendetti Field.

With the loss, the Bison close the season at 6-7 overall and 4-6 in conference play, while the Wildcats improve to 9-7 and 7-3 in conference action.

The Bison offense was powered by Kaylyn Bourque, who delivered a standout performance with five goals. Macy Abrams added two goals, while Catherine Vetter and Makala Dube each found the back of the net once. Emma Patton facilitated the attack with two assists, while Gabriella Mandirola and Ali Vozzo each contributed a helper. Defensively, Nichols collected 18 ground balls, with Briar Slattery making seven saves in goal.

Nichols came out strong in the opening quarter, setting the tone early with aggressive play on both ends. Abrams opened the scoring, and Bourque quickly followed with back-to-back goals to give the Bison momentum. Vetter capitalized on a man-up opportunity off a feed from Patton, and Bourque added another to cap a dominant stretch. Despite a late push from Johnson & Wales, Nichols held a 5-3 lead after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Nichols briefly extended its lead as Abrams connected off an assist from Vozzo to make it 6-4. However, the Wildcats responded with a decisive run, capitalizing on turnovers and controlling possession. Johnson & Wales strung together multiple unanswered goals, including a flurry in the final minutes, to seize control and take a 12-7 lead into halftime.

Coming out of the break, the Bison looked to regroup, but the Wildcats maintained their momentum. Johnson & Wales continued to apply pressure offensively, adding two more goals in the third quarter. Bourque provided a late spark with her fourth goal of the game, but Nichols trailed 14-8 heading into the final frame.

Bourque opened the fourth quarter scoring for Nichols with her fifth goal, but Johnson & Wales proved too much down the stretch. The Wildcats closed the game with a dominant run, capitalizing on key possessions and man-up opportunities to pull away. Despite continued effort from the Bison, the deficit proved too large to overcome as Nichols dropped the 22-9 decision in their season finale.

Nichols concludes its 2026 campaign following Tuesday's contest, marking the end of the season for the Bison.