FRANKLIN, Mass. – Simmons field hockey (14-2, 9-2 GNAC) tied their season-best program win record with a convincing 8-1 victory over Dean College (0-16, 0-11 GNAC) as they closed out the regular season on a wet Wednesday afternoon.
The Sharks got the day started, scoring early five minutes into the game off a penalty corner. Senior Haley Dover laced a shot into the lower right corner of the cage with an assist from first-year Zoe Schmaling to put Simmons up 1-0. Two minutes later, sophomore Sydney Gonyea added to the Shark lead with a long shot from the edge of the circle. Just before time expired at the end of the first quarter sophomore Hannah Groves dished a pass right in front of the net to classmate Anna Tedeschi, who poked it in, for the Sharks third goal.
When the teams opened the second quarter, the Sharks continue to their offensive output. Methodically coming up the far-side of the field, Tedeschi found a wide open Gonyea in front of the net to extend the lead to 4-0. However, the Bulldogs got the goal right back a minute later when Sydnee Ramos found Alisha Caldeira to extinguish the Sharks' chance of their 12th shutout of the season.
Simmons went back on top by four goals when Groves, from the nearside, slide a pass to Tedeschi at the far side post, for her second goal of the game. The Sharks remained in full control of the game and looked to add to their lead late in the half, but Groves' pulled her shot wide left of the cage as Simmons went into halftime with a 5-1 lead.
Returning to the field at the start of the third quarter, the Sharks did not let up. They threatened to add to their lead, earning a penalty corner with just under nine-and-half minutes to play, but the ball glanced off a stick and bounced wide left. Moments later it presented the Bulldogs with their own opportunity to knock in their second goal, but were turned away by the Sharks defense.
The Sharks added to their lead at the start of the final 15 minutes of play. Tedeschi cleaned up a lose bouncer in front of the net and knocked it in for her third goal to put the Sharks in front 6-1. Not long after Gonyea was awarded a penalty stroke and fired in Simmons seventh goal. With seven minutes left in the contest, Dover capped off the scoring, dumping in the team's eighth goal – her second of the game – on a penalty stroke.
SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS
- Sophomore Anna Tedeschi has recorded at least point in her last eight games, tallying three goals and an assist for seven points. It was her sixth two-goal game of the season.
- Fellow sophomore Sydney Gonyea recorded her ninth multi-goal game of the season with three goals and has recorded at least two goals in her last four games.
- Senior Haley Dover began the day with the game's first goal in the fifth minute and closed the game with her second goal of the game on a penalty stroke in the 53rd minute.
UP NEXT
Simmons will wait to see who they play next in the upcoming 2022 GNAC post-season tournament, which is slated to begin on Saturday, October 29 at 11 a.m. at Daly Field.