DUDLEY, Mass. – The Nichols College field hockey team struck early but was unable to hold off visiting Wheaton College on Saturday afternoon, falling 4-1 at Vendetti Field.
The Bison move to 1-1 overall on the season, while the Lyons remain unbeaten at 2-0.
Nichols wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as junior
Lily Gibson found the back of the cage just 58 seconds into the contest.
Emma Bianculli set up the opening score after her initial shot was stopped by Wheaton goalkeeper Elise LeBlanc. Wheaton answered quickly, pulling even at the 3:42 mark when Gia Marotta converted off an assist from Kayla Wilonski. The Lyons took their first lead less than five minutes later as Marotta struck again, this time finishing a feed from Ally Slicer to give the visitors a 2-1 advantage heading into the second quarter. Kayla Wilonski scored at the 26:30 mark off the frame off an assist from Hannah Fortin, pushing the Wheaton advantage to 3-1 entering halftime.
Following the break, Wheaton added its fourth and final goal of the afternoon off another Wilonski shot, this time unassisted, at in the 42
nd minute of action.
Nichols continued to battle throughout the remainder of the contest, and generated several key opportunities. Freshman
Alyse Mutti struck the post off a penalty corner early in the fourth quarter, while Bianculli and
Sofia Calabro each forced saves later in the frame as the Bison searched for a way back into the contest.
Gibson led Nichols with the team's lone strike and two shots on goal, while Bianculli finished with four shots, including three on target, to go along with an assist.
Katherine Hearn recorded a pair of defensive saves, while
Fallyn Belisle made 10 saves in the cage.
Nichols will face its first road challenge of the season on Tuesday, September 8
th at Framingham State University. Game start against the Rams is set for 7:00 PM at Maple Street Field.
