BRIGHTON, Mass. – Simmons field hockey was (7-1, 2-1 GNAC) was handed its first loss of the season falling to Johnson & Wales University, 2-1, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, Saturday morning.
The last two undefeated teams in the GNAC entering today's game used the first six minutes to get a gauge of each other. Johnson & Wales' Darian Shepherd opened with a shot that was saved by Maddie Beckwith. Four minutes later the Sharks had the chance to jump in front with a pair of penalty corners, but they were unable to cash in on the opportunity.
In the eight-minute mark, the Wildcats finally broke through. Charging up the center of the field and only one defender to beat, graduate senior Jillian Miele put the Wildcats on the board first. Miele connected with Mei Tobin for an insurance goal, and the eventual game-winner, scoring off a penalty corner four minutes into the second quarter to give Johnson & Wales the 2-0 advantage.
Trailing for the first time all season heading into the second half, the Sharks came out for the start of the second half strong. Less than a minute into the period, sophomore forward Sydney Gonyea tipped in her conference-leading 10th goal of the season off a penalty corner from fellow classmates Hannah Groves and Anna Tedeschi to cut the deficit in half.
The Sharks refused to give up. With five minutes left in regulation, the Sharks looked poised to score the equalizer with two penalty corner opportunities. But unfortunately, they could not convert. Senior goalkeeper Emma Sheehan made a pair of saves, but picked up her first loss of the season, falling to 4-1 on the season.
SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS
- Sophomore Sydney Gonyea scored her GNAC leading 10th goal of the season a minute into the third quarter to cut the JWU lead in half.
- Sophomore Hannah Groves tallied an assist in her third straight game, assisting on Gonyea's 31st minute goal.
- Senior goalkeeper Emma Sheehan took the loss, dropping down to 4-1 on the season, despite registering two saves.
GAME NOTES:
- Simmons drops to 11-3 all-time against Johnson & Wales.
- The Sharks outshot the Wildcats, 14-11.
- There were 23 penalty corners between the two teams with Simmons having the edge, 12-11.
UP NEXT
Simmons will close out the month of September on Wednesday when they host Elms College at 5 p.m.