Nichols College Athletics

DUDLEY, Mass. (9/18/2026) - The Nichols College field hockey team dropped a 3-1 decision to the University of New England in Conference of New England action at Michael J. Vendetti Field on Friday afternoon.

The Bison fall to 3-3 (1-1 CNE) with the loss, while the Nor'easters improve to 2-4 (1-1 CNE).

Nichols broke through late in the second quarter when sophomore Emma Bianculli found the back of the cage at 22:21 to give the Bison a 1-0 advantage. Bianculli's goal came after Nichols earned back-to-back penalty corners, with Alyse Mutti and Lily Gibson combining to set up the scoring opportunity.

UNE nearly answered before halftime, generating a flurry of chances during the final five minutes of the second quarter. Fallyn Belisle came up with several key saves, including stops on shots from Gianna Korisianos, Ella Reeves, Corinne Ramunno and Chloe Michaud, while Katherine Hearn added a defensive save on Ramunno to preserve Nichols' one-goal lead heading into halftime.

The Nor'easters continued to pressure in the third quarter, and Ramunno eventually leveled the contest at 39:49, converting a feed from Alexa Caccamo. Just over two minutes later, Ramunno struck again at 41:53 to put UNE in front, 2-1.

UNE added another goal with just five seconds remaining in the third quarter, as Ramunno completed the hat trick at 44:55 off an assist from Josie Johnson to give the Nor'easters a 3-1 advantage entering the final period.

Nichols continued to battle in the fourth quarter, generating several opportunities to cut into the deficit. Emma Bianculli had a shot turned away by a defensive save at 56:16, while Sofia Calabro forced a save from UNE goalkeeper Riley Curtin at 58:16. The Bison earned a penalty corner just seconds later, but a shot from Gabby Couillard went wide, and Nichols' final attempt from Bianculli in the closing seconds also missed the cage.

Nichols finished with 10 shots, including five on goal, while UNE recorded 32 shots with 16 on target. The Nor'easters also held an 11-3 advantage in penalty corners. Belisle made 12 saves for the Bison, while Curtin recorded three saves for UNE.

Bianculli paced Nichols offensively with three shots and two shots on goal, including the Bison's lone goal. Calabro also recorded three shots, all of which were on target, while Mutti and Gibson each contributed an assist.

Nichols returns to action on Wednesday, September 23rd, when the Bison travel to face Salve Regina University on Gaudet Field at 6:00 PM.