WENHAM, Mass.—Sophomore Emily Allcroft (Haydenville, Mass.) gave Gordon Field Hockey an early lead it never relinquished in a 2-0 win over Nichols in the Commonwealth Coast Conference opener for both teams. The Scots pull their record to 2-2, while the Bison drop to 1-4 on the year.
 
Allcroft opened the scoring in the seventh minute on a comebacker in the middle of the shooting zone. Following a penalty corner, Madison St. Julien (Wareham, Mass.) chipped a ball that was initially save by Nichols' goalkeeper Katherine Cotton (Kennebunk, Maine), but it bounced back into the zone. Allcroft snuck one on the ground under Cotton's stick for the goal.
 
Gordon continued to press Nichols' defense, but Cotton made big save after big save to keep the Fighting Scots from growing their lead. The Scots outshot Nichols 14-3 in the first half, but could not break through for another goal.
 
Opportunities were hard to come by in the second half, but Gordon's first chance came in the 63^rd minute when Allcroft received a penalty stroke. The sophomore forward lifted a shot to the upper right corner of the net, but Cotton read it all the way for the save.
 
Junior Marirose Brown (Melrose, Mass.) scored her first goal of the season with just three minutes remaining on the clock in regulation to give the Scots some extra insurance.
 
The Fighting Scots put 19 shots on frame during the 70-minute contest, but 17 were stopped. Cotton put up 16 saves, while Emily Manoogian (Worcester, Mass.) was credited with a defensive save. Gordon's Shannon Hicks (Scarborough, Maine) had two saves and Lydia Ellsworth (West Chester, Pa.) had a defensive stop as well.
 
Both teams continue conference play with Gordon traveling to Salve Regina on Saturday and Nichols heading to Roger Williams next Tuesday.