BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore forward Emily Plummer (San Diego, Calif.) registered her second career hat trick to lead the Simmons University field hockey team over visiting University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 6-0, this afternoon at Daly Field in Brighton, Mass. The Sharks improve to 1-2 on the season, while the Corsairs fall to 0-1 following their season opener.
UMass Dartmouth was active on the offensive end, outshooting Simmons, 15-13, including 11-5 in the second half. UMD also owned a 6-2 advantage on penalty corners, but the Sharks defensive front was outstanding and the offense made their shots count.
All three of Plummer's goals were on the even side of the score, finding the back of the cage for Simmons' second, fourth and sixth goals of the day. Her first marker came with 9:15 left in the opening quarter. The second-year forward struck again with 11:11 showing on the second quarter clock, before capping the day's scoring with her third tally coming with 3:04 remaining in the match.
Junior forward Lilly D'Anna (Woodstock, Vt.) finished with three points on the day with a goal and an assist for the Sharks. She assisted on the first score of the match, finding senior forward Olivia Trull (Lowell, Mass.) just 4:15 into the contest for a 1-0 lead. D'Anna later scored with 2:16 to go in the first half when she sent a shot from the left side just inside the right post on a low shot. Sophomore forward Haley Dover (West Springfield, Mass.) notched her first collegiate goal when she corralled the rebound in front of the cage off a shot from Plummer and put the ball across the goal line for a 3-0 Simmons lead just 2:29 into the second quarter.
The Corsairs looked to break into the scoring column off a penalty corner late in the fourth quarter when sophomore midfielder Samantha Bittenbender (Belvidere, N.J.) took a point-blank shot on the Sharks keeper, but junior Lucy McNamara (Brewster, Mass.) turned the attempt away. Junior back Hannah Steen (Fall River, Mass.) was there for the rebound, but Simmons junior back Abby Anderson (South Yarmouth, Mass.) was there for the defensive save with just over a minute to play in the match.
McNamara recorded 11 saves for the Sharks, while junior goalie Katelyn Banalewicz (Fall River, Mass.) stopped six shots for UMass Dartmouth.
Simmons returns to action on Tuesday, September 10 when it heads to Worcester, Mass. to take on Worcester Polytechnic Institute at 4:30 p.m., while the Corsairs travel to Newport, R.I. on September 12 to play Salve Regina University at 6:00 p.m.