Golden Bears Use Balanced Attack to Earn 3-2 Victory over Nichols
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Nichols (4-5, 2-4) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
|
Western New Eng. (3-8, 3-3) | 2 | 1 | 3 |
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 2, 2018) - The Western New England University field hockey team defeated Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) foe Nichols College 3-2 on Tuesday night at Golden Bear Stadium.
Top Performers
Sophomore Haley Daigneault (Longmeadow, Mass.) and freshman Tripanne Manuel (Bethlehem, N.Y.) both scored in the first half for the Golden Bears.
Junior Jessica Clifford (Auburn, Mass.) scored in second half action to give the Golden Bears a 3-1 edge.
For Nichols, junior Erin Kelley (Dighton, Mass.) connected with freshman Mackenzie Snow (Sanbornton, N.H.) on two separate occasions.
Game Review
At the 9:34 mark, Daigneault rebounded her own shot and sent it off the opposite post to gain the lead, 1-0.
Nichols responded quickly to the Daigneault goal with Kelley coming down the right and dishing across to Snow for the equalizer just 17 seconds later.
Near the end of the first half, senior Lana Felice (Pawling, N.Y.) fed the ball into the front of the cage where freshman Manuel emerged from the defense and scored to make it 2-1 in favor of the Golden Bears.
At the 54:43 mark, Clifford would add to the Golden Bear lead with a breakaway goal down the right side that snuck past junior Brooke Misbach (Guilford, Conn.) in the cage. Misbach finished with seven saves for the Bison.
Playing from behind, Kelley and Snow would connect again for the second Bison goal to cut the deficit to 3-2. Over the next 10 minutes of play, Nichols looked for an equalizer, but the Golden Bears controlled the pace.
In the last seconds, Nichols had a chance with a penalty corner, but Western New England cleared the ball out to take home the victory.
Notes
• Western New England outshot Nichols, 13-9.
• Ten of Western New England's 13 shots were on goal.
• Manuel notched her first career goal as a Golden Bear.
Up Next
Western New England (3-8, 3-3 CCC) looks to continue its winning ways Saturday, October 6 as the Golden Bears face University of New England in CCC action. Nichols College will travel to Becker College for a matchup with the Hawks.
