PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Junior forward Julie Saltamartini (East Hampstead, N.H.) tallied a pair of goals, including the 50th of her career, to lead the Simmons College field hockey team to a 4-0 victory over host Johnson & Wales University this afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference match at SMG Athletic Complex in Providence, R.I. The Sharks improve to 10-6 overall for their fourth straight double-digit victory campaign, while bettering their league mark to 5-1 to secure the second seed and receive a first round bye in the GNAC Championship Tournament. The Wildcats fall to 6-10 and 4-2.
Saltamartini also added a pair of assists to give her six points on the day. She entered the match tied for the program's career record for goals scored and is now alone atop the Simmons all-time leaderboard.
The Sharks controlled the match, outshooting their hosts, 20-6, while doubling up on corners by an 8-4 margin.
Saltamartini put Simmons on the board early when she scored off a deflection 6:18 into the contest for a 1-0 edge. She factored into the visitors' second marker when her cross to the left slot put senior forward Mary Neidhardt (Middlefield, Conn.) in position to score her fourth goal of the season with 20:39 left to play in the opening period. The Sharks padded their lead with a third first-half tally when Saltamartini found junior forward Sammy Rondeau (Franklin, Mass.) for a breakaway as Rondeau carried the ball to the left slot and fired into the back of the cage for her eighth goal of the year with 7:53 to go in the half.
Simmons owned a comfortable 3-0 lead at the intermission.
Saltamartini capped her day when she ripped a shot from just inside the circle on the right side and watched it pinball around before it settled on the other side of the goal line to give the Sharks a 4-0 lead with 4:25 remaining in the match.
Senior goalie Brianna Rastello (Salem, N.H.) stopped the only shot she faced to record her 15th career shutout, while sophomore keeper Claire Nolan (West Bridgewater, Mass.) made six saves for Johnson & Wales. First year forward Morgan Matthews (Bethel, Conn.) had the Wildcats' lone shot on goal.
Simmons returns to action on Tuesday, October 25 when it hosts University of Massachusetts Dartmouth at Daly Field for its regular-season finale at 7:00 p.m., while the Wildcats head to Willimantic, Conn. to take on Eastern Connecticut State University on the same day for a 4:00 p.m. match.