BOSTON, Mass. – Senior midfielder Lee Sutherland (Wolfeboro, N.H.) scored four goals and assisted on one more as the Sharks edged the Husson University Eagles, 7-6, in a North Atlantic Conference thriller Saturday afternoon.
The offense was firing on all cylinders for both squads with 13 goals scored during the contest. Eagles Mariah Arno recorded the first goal of the game at 18:13 on a penalty corner strike. But the Sharks did not wait long to make their presence known. Sutherland scored her first goal off a blistering shot from teammate Meghan Fay (Foxobor, Mass.) at 23:07. Just over a minute later, Sutherland found the back of the net again beating Eagles goalkeeper Chelsea Kondratowicz off a tip from sophomore Monica Doucette (Rockport, Maine).
Husson tied the game at two off a goal by Sabrina Vaillancourt and would take the lead into the half when Arno buried her second goal of the game at 30:43.
The Sharks offense exploded in the second half, scoring four straight goals to give Simmons a 6-3 lead. Katelyn Tighe (Easton, Mass.) tailed twice, while freshman Kelly Williamson (Natick, Mass.) and Sutherland helped to increase the Sharks lead.
The Eagles were determined to keep the game close when Vaillancourt scored twice to cut the lead to 6-5. Fay had a great opportunity as she danced around three defenders for a close-range shot on Kondratowicz but the junior came up with the save.
Sutherland gave the Sharks an insurance goal with under five minutes to play off an outside cross from Tighe but the game was far from over. The Eagles were awarded a penalty stroke for the second time in the game. Arno beat Sharks goalkeeper Renna Smith (Belfast, Maine) to again bring the score within one. Husson was awarded a penalty corner in the final 40 seconds of the second half, but senior Sasha Reilly (Wilmington, Mass.) posted a defense save and the Sharks cleared the circle as time expired.
Husson held a slight advantage in shots, 31-26, and in penalty corners 14-5. Smith made 15 saves for the Sharks with the win, while Kondratowicz recorded 12 saves in the loss.
The Sharks host Castleton State College on October 19th for a NAC conference game at 7:00 p.m. The Eagles travel to Maine rival Bowdoin College on the same date for a non-conference match.