NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Simmons field hockey (1-0) opened the 2023 with a 4-0  win over UMass Dartmouth on Saturday afternoon.

The Sharks set the tone early and struck first. Junior Sydney Gonyea connected with fellow classmate Anna Tedeschi to find the back of the cage to give Simmons the 1-0 lead. Two minutes later as time expired in the quarter the Sharks added to their lead.

Sophomore Ainslee Shrout stole the ball from a Corsairs defender then slide the ball to junior Hannah Groves. Looking to the left, Groves saw junior Emilia Elko along the outer edge of the arc and fired the ball into the bottom of the goal and give the Sharks the two-goal advantage.

The Sharks maintained the edge and momentum over the Corsairs as the game moved into the second half. Before the third quarter ended, Gonyea poked in the Sharks third goal of the game on an outside pass from sophomore Zoe Schmaling. With five minutes to play in the game, Schmaling knocked in her first goal of the season to seal the game for the Sharks.

First-year goalkeeper Haley Bright earned her first collegiate career victory, playing all 60 minutes.

SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS

• Junior Anna Tedeschi scored the game-winner 10 minutes into the game on a pass from junior Sydney Gonyea.
• Gonyea registered her first goal of the season in the waning minutes of the third quarter and puts her third amongst Simmons' all-time career leaders.
• Sophomore Zoe Schmaling also added a goal and assist, connecting on Gonyea's third quarter goal before scoring her first in the fourth. 

UP NEXT
Simmons returns to the field on Wednesday, September 6 when they host Albertus Magnus College at 5 p.m.