Women's Soccer Battles Nichols to Scoreless Draw

THE BASICS 
Salem State, 0 vs. Nichols College, 0

Records: 
Nichols College Bison (1-9-1)
Salem State University Vikings (5-3-2)

Location: Salem, Mass. - Alumni Field

Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025

THE LEAD— In a back-and-forth game for the entire 90 minutes, the Salem State women's soccer team ended with a 0-0 draw against Nichols College Tuesday evening at Alumni Field.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Throughout the first half, Salem kept the Nichols offense in check, as the squad only allowed four shots in the opening frame. The Vikings had two great looks in the first to get on the board when McKenna Gilligan (Salem, Mass.) rifled a shot on net that ricocheted off the crossbar (24:06).
• Nearly two minutes later (26:18), Kylie Phillips (Saugus, Mass.) had a shot of her own that bounced off the far post and nearly trickled in but was stopped by Bison goalie Hannah Deschene. 
• Nichols had a chance of its own when Taylor Pickering sent a shot on goal, but Ava Guyer (East Granby, Conn.) turned away her shot and kept the 0-0 tie going into halftime.
• The Bison had a couple of looks in the second when Caroline Shields and Haley Bethin peppered Guyer with back-to-back shots, but the junior goalie turned away both shots each time. 
• As the half went on, neither side gave in to the other, and the Vikes had a couple of last-ditch efforts to get on the board. The first came when Samarah Paiva (Revere, Mass.) put a shot on net at 88:59, but Deschene made the stop. Not long after at 89:53, Jenna Mitza (Tyngsboro, Mass.) had one more try for the score, but again was turned away as both sides finished with a 0-0 tie.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Guyer finished the evening with eight stops for Salem.
• Mitza and Paiva led the Vikings offense with five shots apiece.
• Deschene ended the night with nine saves for the Bison.
• Salem held the shot advantage, 18-11. The Vikings also finished with more corner kicks by a 5-2 margin.
• The Vikings snapped a two-game losing streak to the Bison. However, the Bison lead the overall series, 2-0-1.
• The draw marks Salem's first scoreless result since a 0-0 tie against Colby Sawyer on October 2, 2024. 
• Tuesday's tie is the second of the season for the Blue and Orange.

UP NEXT

• Salem continues its three-game homestand with a MASCAC matchup versus Fitchburg State on Saturday, October 4, at noon.