Western New England University

WENHAM, Mass. (September 12, 2026) – The Western New England field hockey team needed just two goals on Saturday afternoon to get by the Fighting Scots of Gordon College, seeing Jenna Nigro and Mikayla Mrzywka find the back of the net in the conference-opening victory. 

Records:

• Western New England: 3-1, 1-0 CNE
• Gordon College: 0-5, 0-1 CNE

How it Happened:

First Quarter:

• Western New England controlled the opening 15 minutes, generating six shots and two penalty corners while keeping Gordon without any offense.
• Kamryn Miller had a shot blocked just 29 seconds into the contest before Mikayla Mrzywka forced an early save from Gordon goalkeeper Haylee Briggs.
• The Golden Bears continued to pressure the Gordon defense, with Kayla Surprenant and Maddie Ripley each putting shots on goal that were turned aside by Briggs.
• Western New England had the only six shots in the opening frame, but could not break the ice, as the teams remained scoreless after the opening 15 minutes.

Second Quarter:

• WNE continued to dominate possession and offensive chances, adding four shots and four penalty corners in the second quarter.
• Ripley tested Briggs early on in the quarter, while Mrzywka created multiple opportunities, including a shot that was stopped by a defensive save from Jordan Drouin. Mrzywka later forced another save from Briggs following WNE's third penalty corner of the quarter, as the Golden Bears repeatedly kept the ball in the offensive end.
• Gordon was held without a shot for the entire first half, while WNE finished the opening 30 minutes with a 10-0 advantage in shots and a 6-0 edge in penalty corners. The Golden Bears could not find twine, seeing the game remain scoreless at the break.

Third Quarter:

• Western New England maintained its offensive pressure after halftime, earning four penalty corners and recording six shots during the third quarter.
• Mikayla Mrzywka had two early shots go wide before Tessa Ebreo put a shot on goal at 35:38, forcing Briggs to make another save. Mrzywka nearly broke the scoreless tie at 40:06, but Gordon defender Parker Minzy made a defensive save to keep the game deadlocked.
• Gordon finally generated its first offensive chances late in the quarter, earning back-to-back penalty corners, but Alex Tardugno came up big to keep the Fighting Scots from opening the scoring in the contest. The game remained without a score heading into the final 15 minutes of play. 

Fourth Quarter:

• After dominating much of the offense in the first three quarters, WNE finally broke through just 1:12 into the fourth quarter when Jenna Nigro's initial shot was saved and the Golden Bears earned a penalty corner. Nigro made no mistake with a second chance, burying her first goal of the season on assists from Analise Trani and Mikayla Mrzywka to give WNE a 1-0 lead.
• The Fighting Scots had another spurt of offense following the goal from Nigro that forced Tardugno to come up with an important save, keeping the Golden Bears ahead 1-0. 
• WNE added an insurance goal late in the fourth quarter when Mrzywka scored off an assist from Kamryn Miller, giving WNE a late 2-0 lead. 
• The Golden Bears held onto the offense for the final five minutes of the game to come away with the 2-0 victory in the first conference game of the season. 

Inside the Lines:

• WNE found just two goals in the win, both coming in the fourth quarter. Jenna Nigro picked up WNE's first goal of the afternoon, her first of the season, while Mikayla Mrzywka had a late insurance tally for the Golden Bears in the victory.
• WNE outshot Gordon 22-2 in the game and had the 15-2 advantage in shots on goal. 
• Alex Tardugno made both saves needed to earn her second straight shutout. 
• WNE had now won six straight over Gordon overall in the series. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears stay on the road for non-conference action, heading to Keene State on Wednesday, September 16.