WATERVILLE, Maine - Senior forward Julie Saltamartini (East Hampstead, N.H.) scored 83 seconds into overtime to give the Simmons College field hockey team a 2-1 victory over host Thomas College today at Bernatchez Field in Waterville, Maine. The Sharks improve to 1-1 on the season, while the Terriers dip to 1-1.

Saltamartini's unassisted score at 71:23 was the 14th game-winner of her career and her first to decide a match in overtime. Saltamartini beat the Thomas defense, allowing her to go in all alone on the Terriers' goalkeeper. Saltamartini stepped around the diving goalie and deposited the game-winner for a 2-1 win.

Simmons owned a 6-3 shot advantage in the first half and got on the board at the 16:26 mark to take a 1-0 lead in the opening period of play. Senior forward Sammy Rondeau (Franklin, Mass.) sent a pass to a wide open Olivia Trull (Lowell, Mass.) on the far post.  Trull's one-timer slammed into the back of the cage for a 1-0 lead.

The score remained the same at the intermission before Thomas became the only team to score in a second half that saw both teams combine for just four shots, including three from the home team.

Junior forward Tiffany Weeks (Kennebunk, Maine) tallied the equalizer 10 minutes into the second stanza, when she converted a penalty stroke into the left side of the cage to knot the contest at 1-1 for the Terriers.

First year goalkeeper Lucy McNamara (Brewster, Mass.) made three saves to earn her first collegiate victory for Simmons and lead a defensive effort that staved off 12 home penalty corners. Junior Adrianna Fournier (Newport, Vt.) and first year Abigail Anderson (South Yarmouth, Mass.) each recorded a defensive save for the visitors. Sophomore goalie Leah Kruse (Norridgewock, Maine) turned away three shots for Thomas.

The Sharks return to action on Tuesday, September 5 when they head to Worcester, Mass. to take on Worcester Polytechnic Institute for a 7:00 p.m. start, while the Terriers head to Dudley, Mass. to play Nichols College at 1:00 p.m. on September 9.