Box Score NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--Smith College scored the most goals for three years in a 21-12 win over Nichols College in the season opener for both teams on Thursday afternoon.  Meaghan Fileti (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Palos Verdes) scored a career high seven goals as Smith won in the debut of head coach Jen Nardi.

Mckenzie Hessel (Portland, Ore./Wilson) scored five goals and set up four more as Smith (1-0) pulled away in the second half.  Becky Bracken (Barrington, R.I./Barrington) also scored five for Smith.

MK Pasini (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) opened the scoring a minute into the game when she put home a feed from Jessica Lillquist (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme), and Hessel made it 2-0 on a free position attempt.  The Bison (0-1) evened up the score on unassisted goals from Grace Murphy and Krista-Jean Forand, but Fileti sandwiched two more goals around a Pasini marker for a 5-2 Smith lead.

The Bison drew level at five thanks to a pair of goals from Erica Antonison and one from Sam MacMillan, but would only score one the rest of the half, as Becky Bracken (Barrington, R.I./Barrington) and Hessel netted twice, and goals from Jenny Estes (Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth) and Fileti sent Smith into the break up 12-6.

Nichols got the first goal of the second half on an Antonison tally, but two more goals from Hessel and one from Petru Bester (Deep River, Conn./Valley Regional) pushed Smith's advantage to 15-7 with 21 minutes to go.  Grace Murphy stemmed the tide for Nichols, but Smith put the game out of reach by scoring the next six goals, includeing four by Fileti and two by Bracken, for a 21-8 lead.

Antonison scored twice as Nichols netted the final four goals of the game for the final margin.  Alina Pechacek (Andover, Mass./Phillips Academy) tied a career high with 14 saves for Smith.  Danielle Mott played 53:15 in net for Nichols and made 12 saves, while Jenn Townsend played the final 6:45 and was not called upon to make a save.

Antonison finished with six goals for Nichols, who will host Mass. Maritime on March 21 at 7 p.m.  Smith will begin a set of four games away from home, starting with a trip to Western New England University on March 10 at 1 p.m.

Box Score