NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The Simmons College field hockey team's five-match win streak came to an end in a 4-1 loss at host Smith College tonight at Smith Turf Field in Northampton, Mass. The Sharks dip to 6-3 on the season, while the the Pioneers even their record at 4-4.
Smith held a slight edge in shots 17-14, while Simmons maintained a small margin of 8-6 in penalty corners.
The Pioneers opened the scoring in the game with senior forward Julia Hamilton (Williamstown, Mass.) rocketing a shot into the back of the cage, off a pass from junior midfielder Bayleigh Bogan (Encinitas, Calif.) to take an early 1-0 lead with 23:56 left in the opening half. Hamilton tallied her second goal of the match less than ten minutes later, as she collected a rebound from teammate Neva Richardson (Rehoboth Beach, Del.) to put the home team up 2-0. The score remained the same as the teams headed into the break.
The teams remained scoreless in the second period for just over 23 minutes before Smith sophomore defender Sammie Pavlov (Royersford, Pa.) took a ball from senior midfielder Sophie Chase (Milton, Mass.) and floated an aerial shot from the top of the circle into the back of the cage for a 3-0 lead at 58:04. Junior midfielder Madeline Hubbard (Kenne, N.H.) capped the scoring for the Pioneers taking a cross from Morgan Handwerger (Leola, Pa.), through a scrum, and knocked the ball over the goal line for a 4-0 margin.
Senior forward Julie Saltamartini (East Hampstead, N.H.) put the Sharks on the board, with 3:16 remaining in the match, when classmate Sammy Rondeau (Franklin, Mass.) paired with her on a two versus one breakaway for her seventh marker of the year to make it 4-1.
First year goalie Lucy McNamara (Brewster, Mass.) stopped nine shots for Simmons, while Smith senior keeper Cameo Tietje (Massapequa, N.Y.) blocked nine out of 10 shots on goal. Junior defender Adrianna Fournier (Newport, Vt.) recorded her first collegiate defensive save during the match for Simmons.
The Sharks are back in action at home on Saturday September 30 when they host Great Northeast Athletic Conference opponent Anna Maria College at 11:00 am at Daly Field in Boston, Mass., while the Pioneers return to their home turf on the same day to take on New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference foe Massachusetts Institute of Technology at noon in Northampton, Mass.