BOSTON, Mass. – The Simmons College field hockey team defeated visiting Johnson & Wales University, 2-0, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference match this afternoon on Winsor Field in Boston, Massachusetts. The Sharks improve to 7-2 overall and 2-1 in league play, while the Wildcats fall to 1-7 and 0-2. 

Simmons controlled play for most of the match, owning a 12-1 shot advantage and enjoyed a 17-6 advantage on penalty corners. 

The teams played scoreless ball for just under 60 minutes of play before the Sharks got on the board with 10:55 left in the second half. Junior forward Gabi Henderson (Dover-Foxcroft, Maine) sent a cross from the middle of the circle from the right post to classmate Jillian Mercer (Dartmouth, Mass.), who was camped in front of the left post, for a one-timer that resulted in her fifth marker of the year to give Simmons a 1-0 edge. 

The Sharks tacked on an insurance score with just 94 seconds left in the match when senior midfielder Amy Cronin (Georgetown, Mass.) carried the ball into the Johnson & Wales defensive zone and found sophomore forward Sammy Rondeau (Franklin, Mass.) just outside the right post. Rondeau unleashed a shot, while on the move, that hit the far left post and into the back of the cage for her fourth tally of the season and a 2-0 lead. 

The Simmons' midfield controlled the ball to limit Johnson & Wales to a lone shot. First year midfielder Madeline Larson (Catonsville, Md.) recorded the shot for the visitors, but it was turned away by the home team's keeper with 15:32 remaining in the second half. 

Junior keeper Brianna Rastello (Salem, N.H.) made one save to earn her third shutout of the season and the ninth of her career for the Sharks. Sophomore goalie Shannon Yoder (Boyertown, Pa.) stopped eight shots for the Wildcats. 

Simmons returns to action on Tuesday, September 29 when it travels to Northampton, Mass. to take on Smith College at 5:00 p.m., while Johnson & Wales hosts Wheaton College on the same night at 7:00 p.m.