EAST BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore forward Sienna Caron (Easthampton, Mass.) scored her first collegiate goal, the game-winner, to lead the Simmons women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory against Great Northeast Athletic Conference foe, Suffolk University tonight at James A. Sartori Field in East Boston. The win lifts the Sharks to 2-3-2 on the season and 1-2-1 in the GNAC, while the Rams dip to 2-3 and 1-2 in conference play.
Cíara Forde (Quincy, Mass.) sent a ball deep into Suffolk's zone to Caron, where the sophomore forward let a shot go from 15 yards out and stunned the Rams' entire backline and keeper to put Simmons ahead, 2-1, in the 75th minute.
The Sharks dominated total shots 30-9 and an overwhelming 19-4 in the second half. Simmons also held a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Following a foul whistled on Suffolk, the Sharks were clearing their zone, but Rams' first year forward Caleigh O'Brien (Wilbraham, Mass.) stopped the clear and lifted the ball over the Simmons defense, where she found senior midfielder Jennifer Martin (Higganum, Conn.) with a one-on-one opportunity with the Sharks' keeper. Martin drew the goalie to the left and shot right, connecting in the upper right corner to put the Rams on the scoreboard in the 35th minute. The score remained 1-0 until the intermission.
Senior midfielder Kashka Gammon (Nashua, N.H.) knotted the score at 1-1 for Simmons, knocking home a rebound from a Kristen Mihalich (East Rockaway, N.Y.) shot. Gammon's equalizer came at 64:28 in the match before Caron booted the game-winner just over ten minutes later, and Simmons preserved the lead the rest of the way.
Senior keeper Casey Halle (Watertown, Mass.) turned away four shots to earn the victory for the Sharks, while sophomore goalkeeper Julia Fieldsend (Exeter, N.H.) stopped a career-best 15 shots for Suffolk in the loss.
Simmons returns home for its next match, Saturday, September 23 to face GNAC opponent Regis (Mass.) at 11:00 a.m. at Daly Field in Brighton, Mass., while the Rams travel to fellow GNAC foe, Mount Ida College for a 2:30 pm match on the same day in Newton, Mass.
