BRIGHTON, Mass. – Simmons lacrosse (15-2, 12-1 GNAC) sealed the two seed in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) post-season tournament following a 13-11 win over Johnson & Wales University (12-5, 11-1 GNAC) on Tuesday evening. The win marks the Sharks first victory over the Wildcats since April 12, 2014.

The Wildcats jumped in front early scoring four minutes into the game, before tacking on another goal on a player advantage to increase their lead to 2-0. With under two minutes to play in the quarter Simmons junior Liz Krenicky put the Sharks on the board, finding the back of the net on a pass from graduate senior Abby Stoller. Moments before the period ended, Krenicky scored the equalizer on a free-position shot. 

Sophomore attacker Julia Chausse connected with Stoller in the opening minutes of the second quarter to put the Sharks in front, 3-2. But two teams went back-and-forth, exchanging goals for the next eight minutes before sophomores Marita Nothacker and Cameron Richards scored on free-positions to give Simmons a two-goal, 7-5, advantage. Johnson & Wales cut the deficit to within one scoring with 93 seconds remaining, but Nothacker put the Sharks back up by two, 8-6, with her second free-position goal of the period.

Johnson & Wales outscored Simmons 3-1 in the third period, including a player advantage goal that gave the Wildcats a 10-9 lead heading into the final quarter. But the Sharks were not going to back down. Despite being down a player due to a yellow to begin the fourth, Stoller tied the game at 10-10 on a free-position. Five minutes later, she took control of the game, scoring on another free-position then added an insurance goal, scoring at the 7:18 mark to put the Sharks in front 12-10. Simmons did not look back as they cruised to a 13-11 victory.

Senior goalkeeper Nicole Elliott earned her 15^th win in net, registering nine saves on the evening. 

SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS

• Graduate senior Abby Stoller led the way with six goals and one assists for seven points, tying her career single-game best, winning 12 draw controls.  
• Junior Liz Krenicky, sophomore Cameron Richards and sophomore Marita Nothacker all registered a pair of goals.
• Senior goalkeeper Nicole Elliott recorded nine saves to earn her 15^th win.

GAME NOTES

• Simmons earns just its second victory over Johnson & Wales in program history and first win over the Wildcats since April 12, 2014 when the Sharks won, 17-10.
• The Sharks edged out the Wildcats, 16-12 on the draw as well as scooping of 15 ground balls.

UP NEXT
Claiming the second seed in the upcoming GNAC tournament, Simmons will wait to see who they will face in the GNAC quarterfinals on Saturday, April 30 at 1 p.m.