BOSTON, Mass. - Senior attacker Kasey Fries (Bridgewater, Mass.) tallied five points, including three goals, to lead the Simmons College women's lacrosse team in an 18-8 loss to visiting Johnson & Wales University this evening in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference match this evening at Daly Field in Brighton, Mass. The Sharks fall to 4-3 overall and 0-2 in league play, while the Wildcats win their fourth game in a row to improve to 5-1 and 2-0.
Johnson & Wales dominated the shots with a 38-16 count and its defense held Simmons to just eight of 20 on clear conversions.
Fries added a ground ball and a caused turnover, while junior midfielder Mallory Cottam (Hope, R.I.) found the back of the net twice and won five draws in addition to picking up a ground ball. Junior midfielders Ana Giarrusso (Hingham, Mass.) and Elena Bragg (Belmont, Mass.) each scored a goal and first year Molly Reinhold (Mystic, Conn.) also netted a marker for the home team. Reinhold registered four draw controls and a pair of ground balls as well and Giarrusso controlled three draws, picked up three ground balls and caused a turnover. First year goalie Cat Cross (Beverly, Mass.) stopped eight shots for Simmons.
Sophomore midfielder Maria Patane (Greenwich, N.Y.) led the Wildcats with five goals and two assists in addition to two ground balls, while junior attacker Juliana Giello (Warwick, R.I.) came off the bench to post a five-point outing with three goals and two assists in addition to causing a turnover. Junior midfielder Allison Pazienski (New Hyde, N.Y.) also came off the bench to score three times, while picking up four ground balls and causing two turnovers. Senior attacker Raquel Pederzani (Coventry, R.I.) and first year attacker Dani Lydecker (Valley Cottage, N.Y.) each netted a pair of goals to give the visitors five players with multiple scores on the night. Junior defender Deja Hursey (Columbia, Md.) also picked up a game-high six ground balls and junior midfielder Isabella Saluti (Chatham, N.J.) won four draws. First year goalie Cassidy O'Hara (Mashpee, Mass.) made two saves to earn the victory for Johnson & Wales.
Reinhold converted a feed from Fries to pull the Sharks to within 4-3 with 15:29 to play in the opening half, but the Wildcats put together an 8-1 run, including six of the final seven goals of the half, to take a 12-4 lead just 92 seconds into the second half. Pazienski scored three straight markers to ignite the run, while Pederzani's two goals, in a span of 15 seconds early in the second stanza, capped the scoring burst for Johnson & Wales.
Simmons scored three of the next four goals, including a pair from Cottam, to cut the deficit to 13-7 with 23:03 showing in the second period. The Wildcats put the match out of reach by scoring five of the final six goals, including three from Giello and two from Patane to give them a 10-goal victory.
Bragg opened the night's scoring just 41 seconds into the game and Giarrusso later bookended two goals from Johnson & Wales to knot the game at 2-2. Sophomore midfielder Cat Nolan (Center Moriches, N.Y.) and first year middie Marley Medina (South Hadley, Mass.) gave the visitors an early two-goal lead with a goal each before Reinhold's score made it a one-goal deficit for the Sharks.
Simmons returns to play on Tuesday, March 27 when it hosts GNAC foe Rivier University at Daly Field for a 7:00 p.m. draw, while the Wildcats hosts Lasell College on the same night at 6:00 p.m.
