SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 25, 2026) – The Western New England field hockey team dropped its second straight game on Friday night as the visiting 15
th-ranked Gulls of Endicott College tallied two early first quarter goals and never looked back, taking down the Blue and Gold by a final score of 5-1.
Records:
- Western New England: 6-3, 2-1 CNE
- No. 15 Endicott College: 7-2, 3-0 CNE
How it Happened:
- Western New England had the better of the play through the opening four minutes of the game, testing Endicott's Faith Minickene early, with Kayla Antonelli and Mikayla Mrzywka picking up shots on goal.
- Endicott took exception to the early start for the Golden Bears and scored with six minutes to play in the quarter. Sabrina Brunet netted her sixth goal of the season, giving the Gulls a 1-0 lead.
- Brunet struck again just 53 seconds later, finishing a feed from Elena Govoni to put Endicott ahead, 2-0.
- Alex Tardugno made three saves in the opening quarter as the Golden Bears faced eight shots from the Gulls, who outshot WNE 8-4.
Second Quarter:
- The Gulls had the better of the chances to open the second quarter, picking up four penalty corners in the opening three minutes of the frame overall, but could not find the back of the net again. Alex Tardugno fought off four Endicott shots on goal before the Golden Bears rewarded their keeper with a goal.
- Western New England answered with 8:31 remaining in the first half when Jenna Nigro found the back of the cage on a tipped shot on a penalty corner, put in off the stick of Analise Trani, cutting the Golden Bear deficit to 2-1.
- Alex Tardugno continued to keep the Golden Bears within striking distance, making five saves in the second quarter overall, as Endicott generated 10 shots.
Third Quarter:
- Endicott applied pressure throughout the third quarter, picking up three shots on goal and three penalty corners in the opening 3:20 of the quarter overall.
- Western New England fought back in the frame, seeing Mrzywka, Trani, and Maddie Ripley all take shots on goal, but Minickene stood tall between the pipes for the Gulls.
- The Gulls had an abundance of chances in the quarter overall, coming away with seven penalty corners and 15 total shots in the frame. EC's Riley Perkins netted a penalty stroke goal to extend the Gulls' lead back to two with under six minutes to play in the third quarter.
- Alex Tardugno made nine saves in the quarter, while Kamryn Miller continued to pile up her defensive saves for the season, adding another for the year in the frame.
Fourth Quarter:
- Endicott iced the game away with a strike just 1:52 into the fourth quarter when Abby Antonelli rifled a shot off a penalty corner into the back of the net to give the Gulls a 4-1 lead.
- The Gulls added one more goal, the second of the night from Perkins with ten minutes to play in the quarter, putting Endicott on top, 5-1.
- Western New England had a spurt of offense following a pair of penalty corners, but could not get a shot by the Endicott keeper, who made seven saves in all, as Endicott came away with a 5-1 win.
Inside the Lines:
- Jenna Nigro scored her second goal of the season for Western New England, WNE's only tally of the night. Nigro was assisted by Analise Trani.
- Alex Tardugno finished with 19 saves, including a stop on a fourth-quarter penalty stroke.
- Endicott received two penalty strokes on the night, with Perkins scoring once.
- Endicott held a 38-12 advantage in shots and a 25-8 edge in shots on goal.
- The Gulls earned 19 penalty corners compared to seven for Western New England.
- Endicott goalkeeper Faith Minickene made seven saves in the victory.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- WNE will have eight days between their next contests as they travel for an important CNE matchup at Johnson & Wales University on Saturday, October 3 at 12:00 PM.
