NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Senior midfielder Kashka Gammon (Nashua, N.H.) tallied a pair of goals and assisted on a third to lead the Simmons College women's soccer team to a 3-0 victory over host Norwich University in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference match this evening at Sabine Field in Northfield, Vt. The Sharks extend their unbeaten streak to seven straight, including six consecutive victories to mark the longest win-streak since September 21 to October 11, 2005 when they also won a half dozen contests in a row. Simmons improves to 7-3-2 overall and 5-2-1 in league play, while the Cadets fall to 2-9-0 and 1-7-0.
The Sharks outshot their hosts, 20-11, and held a 10-4 advantage on corner kicks.
Simmons scored twice within the first 10 minutes of the contest with each marker coming from Gammon. Sophomore forward Kristen Mihalich (East Rockaway, N.Y.) found Gammon for the Sharks' first tally of the night at 5:59 of the first half, before junior midfielder Cíara Forde (Quincy, Mass.) set up Gammon for her team-leading eighth goal of the season just over three and a half minutes later. Forde created the opportunity by dribbling by a Norwich defender and sliding the ball over to Gammon, who ran onto it and slipped it past the Cadet keeper's right hand into the bottom left corner of the net. The score at 9:35 gave Gammon her third multi-goal effort of the season and the seventh of her career.
Simmons took a 3-0 lead in the 27th minute when Gammon fed junior forward Mikayla Elliott (Lowell, Mass.) for her seventh goal of the season at 26:08 of the opening period. The score extends Elliott's point-streak to five straight matches.
Despite taking all six corner kicks and holding a 9-4 shot margin in the second half, the Norwich defense matched the Sharks' defensive effort as both teams were scoreless for the second stanza.
Graduate student midfielder Mehgan McMullen (Northfield, Vt.) and first year forward Regan Covey (Thetford, Vt.) paced the Cadets' offensive output with three shots apiece.
Norwich's best scoring opportunity for the night came on a corner kick late in the first half as Isabella Leister's (Hartland, Vt.) shot was smothered by the Sharks' senior keeper, Casey Halle (Watertown, Mass.).
Halle turned away both shots she faced in the first half for Simmons, before yielding to junior goalie Lauren Williams (Bowdoinham, Maine), who made one save in the second half. First year goalkeeper Katie Bishop-Manning (New York, N.Y.) stopped seven shots for Norwich.
The Sharks return to the pitch on Wednesday, October 11 when they host Saint Joseph's College (Maine) in GNAC action at 7:00 p.m. on Daly Field, while the Cadets host GNAC foe Regis (Mass.) on the same day at 4:00 p.m.