Senior Anna Stella (Sharon, Mass.) scored the only goal of the day to lift Simmons Soccer over Mount Ida College, 1-0, on Saturday afternoon. With the win, Simmons handed the Mustangs their fourth consecutive loss and third straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference defeat. The Sharks improve to 2-3-1 (1-1-0 GNAC), while the Mustangs fall to 1-4-1 overall (0-3-0 GNAC).

"We learned that when we work hard and win air balls that we can control the tempo of the game and make it easier for ourselves," said Head Coach Erica Mastrogiacomo. "We generated offensive opportunities by playing smart and capitalizing on our opponent's mistakes."

Each squad had scoring opportunities in the first half, but neither could convert a score before the midway horn going into the break knotted at zeros (0-0). Mount Ida had a chance to net a goal in 33rd minute on a cross from Rebecca Tisbert to Michelle Alessi in front of the net. Alessi hammered a good attempt that was smothered by Sharks sophomore goaltender Ashley Wheeler (Nashua, N.H.) for a failed chance.

The Sharks finally took a bite out of the Mustangs in the 65th minute of play on an unassisted score from Stella. Stella won a 50/50 ball in transition at the top left corner of the 18 yard box, and fired a shot over the head of Mount Ida goalkeeper Meghan Begins that fell in the right corner for the 1-0 advantage.

The Sharks rode out their 1-0 victory with solid defense down the stretch while the Mustangs were unable to generate any threat on goal for the remainder of the second half.

Mount Ida goaltender Begins came up with 12 saves for the hosts while Wheeler was also solid for the Shark denying five Mustang shots.

Simmons will travel to face GNAC Emerson College on Wednesday, September 22 at 5:30pm, while Mount Ida will also play on the road at GNAC foe Johnson & Wales University on Tuesday, September 21 at 3:30pm.