STANDISH, Maine -- Senior midfielder Cíara Forde (Quincy, Mass.) scored the eventual winning goal in the 83rd minute to give the Simmons University women's soccer team a 3-2 victory over host Saint Joseph's College (Maine) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action this afternoon at the SJC Athletics Complex in Standish, Maine. The Sharks win their fourth straight match to improve to 4-3-0 overall and 3-1-0 in league play, while the Monks suffer their first loss of the season and dip to 5-1-0 and 3-1-0.

Despite being outshot, 21-9, by their hosts, Simmons scored three times on their first six shots. Saint Joseph's also owned a 10-3 advantage on corner kicks.

Forde scored her second marker of the match with 7:49 remaining in the contest to give the Sharks a 3-2 edge.

Senior forward Mikayla Elliott (Lowell, Mass.) set Forde up for her first tally of the day in the 12th minute to give Simmons a 1-0 edge at 11:48. The score was the only goal of the opening half with the Sharks taking a 1-0 lead into the intermission.

Elliott gave Simmons a 2-0 led on the team's fourth shot of the afternoon when she found the back of the net for her third goal of the year at the 58:47 mark.

The Monks got on the board in the 68th minute when senior forward Haley DaGraca (Saco, Maine) tallied her fifth goal of the season to cut the deficit in half, following a foul committed by the Sharks. Saint Joseph's scored the equalizer, just over four minutes later, following another Sharks foul, when first year forward Maddie Cormier (Bangor, Maine) netted her first collegiate goal to knot the game at 2-2 with 18:40 left to play in the match. 

Senior keeper Lauren Williams (Bowdoinham, Maine) stopped the only shot she faced in the opening 27:11, before leaving the half due to injury. She finished out the contest by turning away four of six shots she faced in the second half to earn the victory for Simmons, while first year goalie Adia Grogan (Kennebunk, Maine) turned away three shots for the Monks.

The Sharks return to the pitch on Tuesday, September 25 when they play Newbury College at Daly Field in a home match for the Nighthawks at 7:00 p.m., while Saint Joseph's heads to Northfield, Vt. to take on GNAC foe Norwich University on September 26 at 4:00 p.m.