MANSFIELD, Conn. – The Nichols College field hockey team came up empty against non-conference Eastern Connecticut State University on Tuesday afternoon, falling by a 3-0 decision at Rick McCarthy Field.
With the loss, the Bison shift to 3-2 (1-0 CNE) overall, while the Warriors improve to 3-2 following the win.
After a scoreless opening frame, Eastern Connecticut opened the scoring 1:37 into the second quarter when Grace Barlage converted a feed from Sophie Ash to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead. The Warriors carried the advantage into halftime, despite holding off a pair of penalty corners and three shots from the Bison in the quarter.
Eastern Connecticut added to its lead midway through the third quarter when Audrey Molin found the back of the cage at 40:16 off a pass from Barlage, pushing the Warriors' advantage to 2-0. Then, in the final quarter, Molin added her second goal of the afternoon with 23 seconds remaining in regulation, this time taking a feed from Ella Rice to cap the scoring at 3-0.
Throughout the afternoon, Nichols was held to five shots, including one on goal, while Eastern Connecticut recorded 19 shots with 13 on target. The Warriors also held a 7-3 edge in penalty corners.
Senior goalkeeper
Fallyn Belisle made nine saves for the Bison, including five in the opening quarter alone.
Morgan Belyea registered Nichols' lone shot on goal, while
Anna Luke,
Emma Bianculli,
Spencer Cameron and
Lily Gibson also recorded shots.
Field hockey returns home to Michael J. Vendetti Field for a conference tilt against the University of New England, starting at 4:00 PM.
