Box Score SPRINGFIELD, Mass.--Co-captain Megan French scored two goals to celebrate Senior Day, and sophomore Hillary Naranjo-Mejia netted the first hat trick of her career, to power the Western New England University field hockey team to a 7-5 victory over visiting Nichols College in Commonwealth Coast Conference action on Saturday at Golden Bear Stadium. The Golden Bears improve to 6-11 overall and 3-7 in the CCC, while the Bison fall to 3-13 on the season and 1-9 in the conference.

Today's win marks a season high in goals for the Golden Bears, who last scored seven times since a shutout win at Elms College in the Oct. 28, 2010, regular season finale. This also means that Western New England defeated Nichols in back-to-back meetings for the first time since 2006 (4-3 on Sep. 14) and 2007 (3-2 OT win on Oct. 20) after a 2-1 overtime victory last month.

Kaylee McNamara led the Bison with a pair of goals in the second half. Nicole Simeone added a goal and an assist.

While there were no lead changes, the wild game started with WNE taking a 2-0 advantage by the 24th minute. Naranjo-Mejia got things going 12 minutes in when she took a feed from freshman Allison Jackson for an easy tap-in. Jackson herself got on the scoreboard with her fourth of the season when she followed up on a rebound of a shot originally taken by classmate Brittany DeLima.

That's when the fun really started as Jackson's goal was answered 52 seconds later by Rachel Dalrymple to bring the Bison within 2-1. Andrea Wilson had a shot from close range that was saved by freshman Grace Trupe (6 saves) and then Dalrymple pounced on the loose ball in front of the cage to knock it in. Two minutes later, Simeone got the tying goal following a long-range shot into a mass of student-athletes in front of the cage.

The teams combined for three goals in a 2:52 span and were tied at 2-2 at the halftime break.

Naranjo-Mejia also started the scoring in the 42nd minute of the second half as WNE built a seemingly comfortable 5-2 lead with three goals during a 6:54 stretch. DeLima dribbled down the left side on a 2-on-1 break and found Naranjo-Mejia for a wide-open goal. French scored on a penalty stroke in the 46th after goalie Emily Mercure (13 saves) was whistled for covering the ball in the arc, finding the lower-left corner of the cage. DeLima capped the 3-0 run in the 49th with her team-leading eighth goal on an assist from junior Sabrina Lyesiuk.

The Bison, however, didn't fold and came right back with a three-goal run of their own. McNamara scored the first of her two back-to-back goals only 18 seconds after DeLima made it 5-2, and then she found the back of the net again in the 56th minute. In the 64th, Jenn Townsend one-timed a rebound shot past Troupe after the initial long-range shot by Simeone wasn't cleared away by the defense. The teams were tied again at 5-5.

First-year Western New England coach Judy Strong called timeout after Nichols' last goal of the afternoon. It proved to be a good move because the Golden Bears' next shot would come off the stick of Naranjo-Mejia in the 65th minute. Freshman Michelle Carlson assisted on the play.

French added an insurance goal with a penalty stroke in the 67th minute after another violation right in front of the cage.

Western New England outshot Nichols 30 to 19 and had a huge advantage on penalty corners at 21 to 4.

Western New England will have its final home appearance at 7 p.m. Wednesday hosting CCC opponent Gordon College at Golden Bear Stadium.