SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 21, 2026) – Behind two more goals from sophomore sensation
Mikayla Mrzywka, the Western New England field hockey team came away with a non-conference victory over the Lyons of Wheaton College (Mass.) on Monday night at Golden Bear Stadium to extend its win streak to five in a row and six wins in seven games this season.
Records:
- Western New England: 6-1
- Wheaton College: 3-4
How it Happened:
First Quarter:
- Western New England controlled the early possession, generating four shots and three penalty corners during the opening 15 minutes of play. Jenna Nigro nearly put the Golden Bears ahead early, but her shot was cleared by a defensive save from Wheaton's Carys Mitchell, keeping the score deadlocked.
- Tania Evans put two shots on goal in the opening quarter, but Wheaton goalkeeper Elise LeBlanc turned both aside to keep the game scoreless.
- Alex Tardugno was not forced to face any shots in the opening 15 minutes of play, as Wheaton generated just one penalty corner in the first frame, but no shots.
Second Quarter:
- The visiting Lyons broke through with 7:33 remaining in the first half when Kayla Wilonski scored off an assist from Maria Worden. Wheaton took advantage of its third penalty corner of the quarter to find of the back of the net, as Wilonski netted her team-leading sixth of the season, putting an early scare into WNE.
- The Lyons applied pressure throughout the remainder of the half, earning five penalty corners in total. Wheaton dominated much of the attack in the quarter, with Tardugno much busier in the second quarter than the first, making a pair of saves on three shots faced.
Third Quarter:
- The Golden Bears came out aggressively after halftime, hearing a pep talk from their coach, earning three penalty corners in the opening three minutes of the quarter before eventually finding the equalizer.
- With 8:55 remaining in the third quarter, Mikayla Mrzywka continued her scoring tear, finding the back of the net for the eighth time of the season after a scramble in front of the cage, Mrzywka found a loose ball and snapped it home to tie the game at one.
- Western New England continued to pressure the Lyons, putting seven shots toward the cage during the quarter, but Wheaton's Elise LeBlanc stood tall, allowing just the one goal in the quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
- Wheaton had early chances in the fourth quarter to break the tie, seeing a pair of shots, both from Ally Slicer come towards goal, but Tardugno and the WNE defense came up with the stop to keep the Lyons from scoring.
- Western New England continued to create chances early in the fourth quarter, with Kamryn Miller hitting the crossbar following a Golden Bear penalty corner with just over seven minutes remaining. WNE's best chance of the quarter came from Miller, though denied on a solid chance.
- The pressure from Western New England paid off eventually, as Mikayla Mrzywka found the back of the cage for the second time, finishing a feed from Kayla Surprenant to put the Golden Bears ahead, 2-1. Surprenant sent a pass to the middle of the circle, where Mrzywka received the ball and flicked a shot past LeBlanc, giving WNE its first lead of the night.
- Wheaton generated several opportunities in the final minutes, including two penalty corners, but Alex Tardugno made a save on Wheaton's Kayla Wilonski with 4:06 remaining and held off the Lyons after one final penalty corner in the final minute and a half of the game, securing a 2-1 victory for the Golden Bears.
Inside the Lines:
- Mikayla Mrzywka scored twice on eight shots, including four shots on goal, to give her nine goals through seven games this season. Mrzywka's nine goals are now tied for third overall in Division III. Mrzywka's two-goal performance marked her third multi-goal game of the season after scoring twice against Roger Williams University last time out and recording a hat trick against Vermont State University Castleton.
- Kayla Surprenant recorded the lone assist of the game for the Golden Bears in the game, her first point of the season.
- Western New England held a 16-12 advantage in shots and a 9-5 edge in shots on goal.
- The Golden Bears earned nine penalty corners, while Wheaton was right behind with eight.
- Alex Tardugno finished with four saves on the net, seeing Wheaton take five shots on goal overall.
- WNE comes up with its fifth straight victory of the season and downs Wheaton for the second straight season on home turf.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- WNE's busy week continues when it hosts Springfield College this coming Wednesday, September 23 at 4:00 PM at Golden Bear Stadium.
