DUDLEY, Mass. (Nov. 6) – The Nichols College field hockey team is set to host the The Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship for the first time in program history Saturday as the third-seeded Bison take on the fourth-seeded New England College Pilgrims on Vendetti Field at 1 p.m.
The game is a rematch of the 2007 TCCC Championship but on different soil as the seven-time defending conference champion Pilgrims (14-7) visit Dudley, Mass., to take on the Bison, who come into the game sporting the program’s all-time best record of 17-3.
Admission for the game is set at $5 for adults, $3 for students with valid college identification, and is free for children under 12 and Nichols College students with valid college identification.
The game can be heard live on WNRC 97.5-FM in the Dudley, Mass., area and live online at http://www.live365.com/stations/wnrc?site=pro .
Nichols, which bested second-seeded University of New England, 3-1, to advance to the finals, is looking for its second TCCC title since winning the crown, 2-1, in a double-overtime affair at Regis in 1995. The Bison are led offensively by 32 points from sophomore Chelsea Correia (Seekonk, Mass.), who paces the team with 15 goals and two assists. TCCC Second Team forward Eileen Clinton (Londonderry, N.H.) is the team’s top playmaker with 13 assists and seven goals for 27 points. Anchoring the midfield are TCCC First Team freshman Emily Widdison (Greenfield, Mass.) and TCCC Second Team honoree Mary Kate Frodema (Springfield, Mass.). One of the keys to the Bison’s success has been its defense – Nichols has allowed 96 shots on net during the season. The Bison’s experienced group of backs in conjunction with the standout play of newcomer Krista-Jean Forand (Plymouth, Mass.) in goal has helped Nichols allowed just 24 goals all season and a stingy 12 against TCCC opponents. Forand leads the league with a 0.98 goals against average.
New England College knocked off top-seeded Endicott to advance to the finals and is led by 41 points from junior All-TCCC forward Samantha Escobar, who has put up a TCCC-best 18 goals and five assists. Freshman forward Emily Kuchta as added nine goals and three assists for 21 points. Senior All-TCCC Second Teamer Ashley Simlua anchors the midfield, while junior Brianna Gerrior leads the conference with 10 defensive saves. In net, junior Mary Roux has a 1.99 GAA to go with four shutouts and a .815 save percentage.
In the teams’ regular-season matchup, Nichols prevailed, 2-1, in overtime in Dudley, Mass. The Pilgrims took the lead in the eighth minute of the game, but Frodema evened it up in the 42nd minute. Clinton assisted Widdison’s game-winning score in the 76th minute to keep Nichols undefeated on the year at 12-0. In the 2007 TCCC Championship, New England College prevailed, 4-2, in Henniker, N.H.