Dunn doubles her goals to defeat Seahawks in OT, 3-2

NEWPORT, R.I. – Freshman Meghan Dunn (Dudley, Mass.) scored two goals, including the game-winner in OT, to lead the Nichols College women's soccer team over Salve Regina University, 3-2, in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Saturday afternoon.

Salve Regina (2-3-0, 0-1-0 CCC), in the middle of a five-game home stand, suffered its second overtime defeat of the season (2-1 to UMass Dartmouth on September 3), both game-winning goals coming less than 61 seconds into OT.

This is the first win for the Bison over the Seahawks since October 2008 when they defeated Salve Regina 4-2 in Newport. Salve Regina had gone 4-0-1 in the last five meetings. It is also the first win for Nichols in its conference-opener since the 2007 campaign (1-0 over U. of New England). Salve Regina's only conference win of 2013 came against Nichols in Dudley, Mass.

Despite seven shots apiece in the first half, the two clubs went into the half knotted at zero. Dunn got the scoring started at the 56-minute marker when she was able to convert a penalty kick and best senior Lauren Bulk (Portsmouth, R.I.), making a spot start at goalkeeper, to make the score 1-0.

The game remained at a standstill until the 82nd minute when junior Anna Shultz (Higganum, Conn.) passed it over to her classmate Jessica Broadhurst (Scarborough, Maine) who then put it past senior netminder Sarah Whitestone (Dalton, Mass.) to tie things up 1-1.

Salve Regina took the lead just a minute later when freshman Lea Adams (Sandwich, Mass.) scored.

Nichols (2-2-0, 1-0-0) had some fight still left in them, however, and with less than two minutes to go in regulation sophomore Brooke Maher (North Attleboro, Mass.) connected for her first goal of the season to tie the scoring at two apiece. Sophomore Morgan Gidley (Dartmouth, Mass.) was credited with the assist on the play.

The Bison had not won a game in OT since 2009 against Western New England, but just 52 seconds into the first overtime period Dunn connected for her second goal of the game (and fourth of the season) to give Nichols the win, 3-2.

Whitestone moves to 1-0-0 on the year after picking up eight saves in the win. Bulk stopped five shots in her first collegiate goal keeping experience.

Dunn led Nichols with eight of the 14 team shots while freshman Courtney Bouchard (Middleton, Mass.) led Salve Regina with four shots.

The Bison host Becker on Tuesday at 4 p.m. The Seahawks host Eastern Nazarene on Saturday at noon.