Field Hockey Rallies to Top Nichols in Overtime, 3-2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Nichols (3-7, 0-5) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
|
Western New Eng. (5-4, 2-2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 2, 2019) – The Western New England University field hockey team overcame a fourth quarter deficit with a goal in the closing seconds of regulation and went on to claim a 3-2 victory over Nichols College in overtime on Wednesday night in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at Golden Bear Stadium.
Top Performers
Senior forward Jacqueline Clark (Auburn, Mass.) led the Golden Bears with a pair of goals, including the game-winner in overtime. Freshman Emily Campbell (Goffstown, N.H.) tallied the equalizer late in the fourth quarter to send the contest to an extra period.
Nichols junior Lizz McKinnon (Quincy, Mass.) fueled the Bison offense with two goals, while senior Erin Kelley (Dighton, Mass.) was credited with an assist.
In net, Nichols senior goalie Brooke Misbach (Guilford, Conn.) turned aside 16 shots, and her counterpart, Western New England freshman Lexie Hemstock (Cheshire, Conn.) made four saves.
Game Review
Clark gave the Golden Bears a 1-0 lead just under five minutes into the contest, when she fought off a pair of Nichols defenders in front of the cage and powered a shot past Misbach.
Neither team scored for the remainder of the first half, but the Bison knotted the contest at 1-1 early in the third quarter following a penalty corner play, as McKinnon collected a loose ball and slipped an attempt past Hemstock.
McKinnon then put the Bison ahead with 6:36 left in the contest, as she collected a long pass from Kelley and poked the ball into the open goal.
Still trailing in the final minute, Campbell came through for the Golden Bears when she redirected a shot taken by sophomore Maggie Gallagher (West Chester, Pa.) from the top of the arc following a penalty corner.
Less than three minutes into overtime, Western New England secured the triumph as sophomore Taylor Klesyk (Hamden, Conn.) found a wide-open Clark in front of the goal, where she tapped home the winner.
Notes
• Western New England outshot Nichols 28-7, and the Golden Bears held a 12-3 advantage in penalty corners.
• Western New England has now won 11 straight games against the Bison, with Nichols' last win in the series coming in 2013.
Up Next
Western New England (4-4, 2-2 CCC) hosts Endicott in a Homecoming contest on Friday at 5 p.m., while Nichols (3-7, 0-5 CCC) travels to Salve Regina next Tuesday.
