PAXTON, Mass. - Senior midfielder Ali Berkman (Natick, Mass.) netted a pair of goals to lead the Simmons College women's soccer team over host Anna Maria College, 4-0, this afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference match at AMCAT Field in Paxton, Mass. The Sharks improve to 9-8-0 overall, including 8-3-0 in league play, while the AMCATS fall to 3-12-1 and 1-8-1. Simmons secured the number four seed in the GNAC Championship Tournament with the win.
The Sharks dominated the match, outshooting Anna Maria, 40-6, including 23-1 in the opening half.
Berkman tallied the final two goals of the day for Simmons. She netted back-to-back goals in the 68th and 74thminutes to put the game out of reach for the visitors. First year forward Ciara Forde (Quincy, Mass.) assisted on Berkman's first tally, while senior back Ainslie Gibbs (Forestdale, R.I.) provided the helper on the second score and her sixth of the season to give the Sharks a 4-0 cushion.
Simmons got in the board in the 25th minute when Issy Verrilli's (Naugatuck, Conn.) shot from 20 yards out bounced off a teammate and then an AMCAT defender, finally landing at the feet of Forde, who found the back of the net for her second marker of the season and the team's first score. The Sharks took a 1-0 edge into halftime.
Simmons added a second tally in the 53rd minute as senior midfielder Victoria Russo (Braintree, Mass.) buried a penalty kick for her second tally of the year.
Senior keeper Briana Hayes (Manorville, N.Y.) stopped both shots on net to protect the 16th shutout of her career for the Sharks, while Anna Maria's Kate Kneeland (Windham, Maine) tallied 19 saves in defeat.
Simmons travels to Springfield, Mass. on Tuesday, October 27 for a 7:30 p.m. tilt with Springfield College to close out the regular season, while the AMCATS return to action on the same day for the season finale against Norwich University.