Simmons Field Hockey fell to North Atlantic Conference leader St. Joseph's College of Maine on Saturday, 3-2. The Sharks fought back from a 2-1 deficit to bring the Monks to overtime but came up short in the end, with a final score of 3-2 on the day.
The Monks opened the scoring 10 minutes into the contest off a smart goal by Kayla Nowell off a Julia Ostrowski assist. Simmons played great recovery defense to keep the ball in the midfield. Five minutes later, sophomore Katelyn Tighe (Easton, Mass.) capitalized on a SJM turnover at the top of the circle and ripped a hard shot through the defense to even the score, 1-1. Much of the play continued in the midfield, but the Monks' Courtney Rague was able to score again before the half, leaving the contest at 2-1 at the half.
In the second half, SJM came out strong, dominating the first twenty minutes of the period. Neither team was able to convert on offense until just under 6 minutes remaining. After a Simmons time-out, the Sharks' offense took advantage of their speed and set up senior captain Emily Sypher (Orono, Maine) in the circle. She received a pass from Lee Sutherland (Tuftonboro, N.H.) in front of the goalie and turned, scoring the equalizer on a smart, poised shot. Both teams battled for the remainder but the game went into overtime with a score of 2-2.
Simmons began with the passback, and quickly created a couple of scoring opportunities. However, the Monks were able to catch the Sharks on their heels as they stole the ball and took it down for the 3-2 OT win just 1:12 into extra minutes, with a goal from Ostrowski off a Jillian Kimball assist.
"This was the strongest we have played as a team this season," said Head Coach Kate Leonard. "The determination was visible and the girls played so hard against a very tough, aggressive St. Joe's team. We adjusted a few things in the second half which allowed us to come back to tie it, and it just didn't go our way in overtime. This is the kind of play you hope to see at the end of the season, and I am so proud of how we put it all out there today."
Senior goalkeeper Jen Szkolt (Bondsville, Mass.) played the best game of her career today, notching 18 saves and continually denying strong shots.
Simmons plays again on Sunday, October 25, at 2:00 pm at home against the Eagles of Husson University.