CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Massachusetts Institute of Technology field hockey team defeated visiting Simmons College, 2-0, this evening at Jack Barry Field in Cambridge, Mass. The match was the season opener for both schools as the Sharks fall to 0-1 and the Engineers improve to 1-0.
Senior keeper Brianna Rastello (Salem, N.H.) turned away 15 shots for Simmons for her highest save total since she posted a 15-save effort vs. Husson University on October 27, 2013.
Sophomore back Meghan Fontaine (Westminster, Mass.) also came up with a defensive save for the Sharks.
MIT outshot Simmons, 26-0, and held a 22-0 advantage on penalty corners.
Following the Engineers' 18th penalty corner of the night, senior Krishna Jaitly (Bethesda, Md.) collected the rebound of her saved shot and found sophomore Bailey Tregoning (Frederick, Md.) at the far post for the opening goal in the 41st minute. MIT increased its lead courtesy of a penalty stroke by junior Emily Penn (Columbia, Md.) with 6:52 left to play in the match.
Aside from early pressure during the opening minutes, the Sharks' best opportunity of the night came with just over 11 minutes left to play. Junior Julie Saltamartini (East Hampstead, N.H.) made a deep run into the arc that drew the Engineers' goalie off her line but a foul thwarted the threatening attack.
Sophomore goalie Cailey Talbot (Southampton, N.J.) earned the shutout for MIT in her first career appearance in net.
Simmons returns to action on Saturday, September 3 when it hosts Worcester Polytechnic Institute at 11:00 a.m. in the team's first-ever match on Daly Field in Brighton, Mass. The Engineers return to action on the same day when they host non-conference foe University of Massachusetts Dartmouth at 12:00 p.m.
