FIELD HOCKEY: Anna Maria falls to Simmons in GNAC play

The Basics:

-Score:  Simmons College 4, Anna Maria College 1

-Records: Anna Maria College (3-8, 1-3 GNAC), Simmons (7-3, 4-0 GNAC)

-Location: Brighton, Mass. (Daly Field)

- The Lead: Senior Julie Saltamartini (East Hampstead, N.H.) tallied five points on two goals and an assist Saturday to lead the Simmons College field hockey team to a 4-1 victory over visiting Anna Maria College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference match at Daly Field. The Sharks have won six of their last seven games and improve to 7-3 overall and 4-0 in league play, while the AMCATS fall to 3-8 and 1-3.

How It Happened:

- The AMCATS got on the board first when senior Nicole Denver (Springfield, Mass.) redirected a deflected shot from classmate Jacqueline Lapierre (Worcester, Mass.) for her team-high eighth goal just 6:19 into the match to take a 1-0 edge. The Sharks' defense tightened up for the rest of the match, holding the visitors without a score for the final 63:41 of play, while the offense scored four times.

-Simmons responded less than five minutes later to knot the contest at 1-1. Senior Sammy Rondeau (Franklin, Mass.) was able to get control of the ball in a scrum in the goal mouth and deposit a shot into the back of the cage for her team-leading ninth goal of the season. Saltamartini gave Simmons the lead for good at 2-1, when she dribbled through a pair of Anna Maria defenders and scored with 6:06 to go in the half.

-Saltamartini added to her goal total when she collected a rebound off her own shot and scored on the put-back past the sprawling AMC goalie for her ninth marker of the year, less than five minutes into the second half. The score gave her multiple goals for the 19^th time in her career for the Sharks. Saltamartini figured in the home team's fourth and final goal when she blasted a shot off a penalty corner that was tipped in by junior forward Missie Maiewski (Northampton, Mass.) at the far left post with 6:35 remaining in the match.

Inside the Numbers

-Freshman keeper Lucy McNamara (Brewster, Mass.) responded when tested again and again with eight saves to record the victory for Simmons, while senior goalie Bryanna Tobin (Deep River, Conn.) stopped 11 shots for Anna Maria.

-Junior midfielder Kayla Magierowski (Brimfield, Mass.) contributed as well for AMC with a defensive stop.

-Simmons doubled up Anna Maria with a 22-11 shot advantage, including 13-5 in the second half and also held a 9-6 margin on penalty corners.

Up Next:

The AMCATS open a four-game home stand Tuesday (Oct. 3), hosting Bridgewater State University in a non-conference game at 7:00 p.m. The Sharks will be in action again on Tuesday when they head to New London, N.H. to take on Colby-Sawyer College at 3:30 p.m.

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