BOSTON, Mass. - The Simmons College field hockey team was unable to overcome a two-goal deficit in a 2-1 loss to visiting Saint Joseph's College (Maine) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest this afternoon at Daly Field in Brighton, Mass. The Sharks fall to 9-5 overall and 5-1 in league play, while the Monks improve to 10-4 and 5-1.

Saint Joseph's owned a 13-5 shot advantage, despite Simmons holding a 5-3 margin on penalty corners. 

The Monks got on the board first when junior midfielder Kara Kelly (York, Maine) picked up a loose ball in a scrum in front of the goalmouth and deposited a shot inside the left post for her second marker of the season with 17:11 left in the first period. The Saint Joseph's defense held the Sharks to just one shot as the visitors took a 1-0 lead into halftime. 

The Monks increased their lead to 2-0 with 17:19 left to play in the second stanza. Junior midfielder Kayla Kelly's (York, Maine) shot was stopped by the Simmons keeper, but sophomore forward Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine) corralled the rebound and fired a shot inside the left post for her team-leading 13th goal of the season. 

The Sharks countered less than two minutes later when junior forward Missie Maiewski (Northampton, Mass.) sent the insert cross on a penalty corner to a waiting Meghan Fontaine (Westminster, Mass.) at the top of the circle. Fontaine steadied the pass and ripped a shot that was deflected high into the air and over the Saint Joseph's goalie for her fourth goal of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1 with 15:37 to play in the match. 

The Monks looked to add an insurance goal late in the contest, but Simmons first year back Abigail Anderson (South Yarmouth, Mass.) turned back a pair of shots from Pomerleau to record her eighth and ninth defensive saves for the year to rank second among the nation's leaders. 

Junior goalkeeper Megan Baker (Gorham, Maine) made one save to earn the victory for Saint Joseph's, while first year goalie Lucy McNamara (Brewster, Mass.) stopped eight shots for the Sharks. 

Simmons is in action again on Tuesday, October 17 when it hosts New England College at 7:00 p.m. on Daly Field, while the Monks head to Salem, Mass. to take on Salem State University on the same night at 7:00 p.m.