Box Score Box Score

NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--Grace Maliska (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) and Sydney Burns (Woodbury, N.J./George School (Pa.)) both scored their first collegiate goals, but it was not enough as the Smith College field hockey team fell in their opener by a score of 8-2 to visiting Nichols College on a soggy Wednesday afternoon.

The Bison improved to 2-0 with the win, with seven different players finding the back of the cage.  Avery Orzulak opened the score at the 10:41 mark - after Emily Widdison's shot was saved by Smith goalie Savannah Lawson (Oak Bluffs, Mass./Martha's Vineyard), Orzulak was there to fire in the rebound. 

Krista-Jean Forand made it 2-0 less than five minutes later, and Widdison scored Nichols' third on a feed from Chelsea Correia with 20:34 on the clock.  The Bison would score twice more with Correia and Barbara Roy making it 5-0, but Smith would pull one back before halftime.  Phoebe Hopkins (Philadelphia, Pa./Friends Select)' slide rule pass found Maliska on the far post, and the sophomore made no mistake to get the Pioneers on the board.

The Bison would score three more times in the second half , but Smith was not without chances to get back in the game.  In the 55th minute, Hopkins' shot from just inside the circle beat Nichols goalie Molly Melanson, but was cleared off the line by a teammate.  Two minutes later, Hopkins had a chance as the Pioneers were awarded a penalty stroke, but Melanson sprawled to her right to make the save.

Smith did add one more goal in the final moments.  Allie Stein (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) slid a pass through traffic, and Sydney Burns (Woodbury, N.J./George School (Pa.)) beat Melanson to the far side with 1:22 left in the game.

Lawson made eight saves in the cage for Smith, while Melanson made seven for Nichols.  The Bison outshot Smith 20-15.

Smith will now begin the first of five games away from home when they participate in the Bettey Richey Invitational, hosted by Vassar College this weekend.  The Pioneers will face the host Brewers at 5 p.m. on Friday, September 9, with the consolation and championship games the next day.  The other game in the tournament will feature Manhattanville and Bay Path.  Nichols will travel to Clark on September 13, for a 7 p.m. matchup.