BOSTON, Mass. – The Simmons University field hockey team was defeated by visiting Thomas College, 3-0, this afternoon at Daly Field in Brighton, Mass. The Sharks fall to 3-5 on the season, while the Terriers improve to 3-4. 

Thomas owned a 10-7 shot margin and a 7-4 advantage in penalty corners as Simmons fell for the first time this season at home after three straight wins.

Sophomore forward Britney Gregoire (Kennebunk, Maine) recorded her first collegiate hat trick to lead the Terriers.

Gregoire wasted no time in putting the visitors on the board, carrying the ball into the goal mouth and firing a shot past the Simmons keeper just 61 seconds into the match. Gregoire repeated the feat just 42 ticks later when she found herself with the ball again in front of the cage and sent a shot into the right side for her second tally of the afternoon and a 2-0 TC lead. 

Thomas scored an insurance goal with the help of Gregoire off a penalty corner opportunity in the third quarter. Sophomore midfielder Lindsey Gregoire (Kennebunk, Maine) sent the insert pass to senior midfielder Kelci Faulkingham (Belfast, Maine) at the top of the circle, where she settled the ball and blasted a shot ticketed for the Sharks cage, before Britney Gregoire redirected the attempt into the back of the cage for her third marker of the day with 5:44 to go in the quarter.   

Simmons looked to get on the board and cut the deficit in half, in the minute prior to the Terriers' third score, when first year forward Emma Strandson (Brooklyn, Conn.) fired a pair of shots from the left post, but the Thomas keeper turned both attempts away to keep the shutout intact. 

First year midfielder Maddie Beckwith (Winslow, Maine) matched the shot output from Strandson to help pace the Sharks offense for the day. 

Junior goalie Lucy McNamara (Brewster, Mass.) stopped five shots for Simmons. Senior keeper Leah Kruse (Norridgewock, Maine) earned the victory with seven saves in the first 47:35 of play for the Terriers, before yielding to sophomore goalie Alexis Bowman (Freedom, Maine), who was untested in the final 12:25 of action. 

The Sharks return to action on Tuesday, September 24 when they travel to Leicester, Mass. to take on Becker College at 4:00 p.m., while Thomas heads to Standish, Maine to take on Saint Joseph's College on September 27 at 6:00 p.m.