DUDLEY, Mass. -- The Mount Ida College women's lacrosse team dropped their season opener of 2016 at the hands of the Bison of Nichols College, 19-11, on Saturday afternoon in non-conference women's lacrosse action.
The Mustangs start the season at 0-1 while the Bison start off at 1-0 with both teams still to play several non-conference contests before getting into conference action.
All-Time Series & Streaks
The win marks the third in a row in the series for the Bison and they improve to 4-1 in the all-time series with the Mustangs.
Key Players of the Game
Mount Ida
1. Freshman Alyssa Kelly (Lee, Mass.) led the Mustangs with seven total points while scoring five goals and notching two assists in her first collegiate lacrosse game. Kelly scored her first five career goals on 16 shots picking up three ground balls, winning five draw controls and causing two turnovers.
2. Junior midfielder Nicole Pavao (Peabody, Mass.) totaled four goals in the game on seven shots while also tallying one assist and six draw controls in the setback.
3. Emily McConnell (Dracut, Mass.) recorded two goals for the Mustangs in the game for the Mustangs while also causing one turnover.
Nichols
1. Freshman Kirsten Sullivan (Arlington, Mass.) – three goals; two assists; team-high six shots; one ground ball; one draw control
2. Sophomore Lindsay O'Connell (Danvers, Mass.) – four goals; one assist; five shots; one ground ball; three caused turnovers
Key Stat of the Game
The Bison took seven more free-position shots than the Mustangs – scoring on six of their 11 chances. The Mustangs finished 2-for-4 on free-position shots.
Turning Point
At 22:39 of the first half the Mustangs cut the deficit to 3-2 after an unassisted goal from Kelly – just 17 seconds later, senior captain Alexa Smith (Salem, N.H.) found fellow senior captain Meghan Dombkowski (Sagaponack, N.Y.) cutting through the defense. Dombrowski caught the pass and fired a shot to double the Bison's lead to 4-2. Nichols went on to score eight of the next 12 goals to end the first half with a 12-6 lead.
Quick Hits
- The Bison opened up the season for the third consecutive year with a victory and second year in a row under head coach Kathryn Beall. The 19 goals mark the most by the Bison since April 9th of last season when the Bison won 20-11 over Mount Ida.
- O'Connell has notched four goals and one assist in the first game of the year in each of her first two seasons at Nichols.
- Nichols saw 10 different student-athletes score their 19 goals while only three Mustangs made up their 11 goals. The Bison outshot Mount Ida 28-26 for the game while also winning the draw control battle, 20-12.
- Junior captain Olivia Morawski (Fairfield, Conn.) scored a career-high four goals in the game while O'Connell also tallied four goals. The Bison also saw three goals from Sullivan, two from junior Brooke Marion (South Hadley, Mass.) and goals from Smith, Dombkowski, sophomores Katherine MacNutt (New Milford, Conn.), Melissa LaFleur (Chicopee, Mass.), and Allison Bench (Windham, N.H.), as well as freshman McKayla Pratte (Newington, Conn.).
- Junior Katherine Cotton (Kennebunk, Maine) made 11 saves in 47:09 of playing time while allowing nine goals to earn the win. Sophomore Jacqueline Hogue (North Grafton, Mass.) stopped four shots in the final 12:51.
- Mustang freshman netminder Jackie Tarsook (Derry, N.H.) made nine saves and took the loss for the Mustangs.
Next up
Nichols (1-0) – Tuesday, March 8 vs Fitchburg State, 4:00 p.m.
Mount Ida (0-1) – Tuesday, March 8 at Becker, 4:00 p.m.
Content Courtesy of Nichols College Sports Information