Simmons, Mount Ida Advance to GNAC Field Hockey Tournament Semis

#3 Simmons 8, #6 Anna Maria 0
BOSTON, Mass. – Senior forward Julie Saltamartini (East Hampstead, N.H.) matched her career high with four goals to give her 21 to break the school mark for season markers, while leading the third-seeded Simmons College field hockey team to an 8-0 victory over number six seed Anna Maria College today in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship Tournament Quarterfinals at Daly Field in Brighton, Mass. The Sharks improve to 12-6 and advance to the GNAC Semifinals at second-seeded Saint Joseph's College (Maine) in Standish, Maine on November 1. The AMCATS finish their season with a 5-14 mark. 

Simmons makes its fourth semifinals appearance for the most in conference history, while setting a league record for goals in a tournament match. In addition, Saltamartini's goal total is the most-ever for a player in a GNAC tournament contest. Her season-record goal total eclipses her own tally from a year ago that she shared with Tanya Rego, who scored 20 times in 2005. 

Simmons held a commanding 25-6 advantage in shots while holding a 13-2 cushion in penalty corners. 

Saltamartini wasn't the only player to score multiple goals as classmate Sammy Rondeau (Franklin, Mass.) joined her with a trio of scores for her second hat trick of the season to give the Sharks their first pair of players with a hat trick each in a match in at least a decade. 

Junior midfielder Meghan Fontaine (Westminster, Mass.) broke open the high-scoring match for the Sharks 3:57 into the opening half when she blasted a shot from the top of the circle past the keeper off an insert from Rondeau, to give the home team the lead for good. Saltamartini scored three straight goals in just over a twenty-minute span, highlighted by an unassisted goal at 23:20 when she lifted a shot into the upper far post of the cage for a 3-0 Simmons lead. Rondeau added a late goal before the half when she collected her own rebound and found the back of the cage for a 5-0 halftime margin for the Sharks. 

Rondeau tallied two more goals for the hat trick to begin the second period coming off assists from junior midfielder Ana Giarrusso (Hingham, Mass.) and sophomore forward Olivia Trull (Lowell, Mass.). Saltamartini capped the scoring at 69:19 when she dribbled up the sideline to escape multiple defenders before slotting a ball to the short side of the cage to match her career high with four goals and an 8-0 Simmons lead. 

Anna Maria was led by senior midfielder Jacqueline Lapierre (Worcester, Mass.) who totaled three shots on the day with two being on cage. 

First year keeper Lucy McNamara (Brewster, Mass.) recorded three saves on the day for the Sharks, while also receiving help from classmate Abigail Anderson (South Yarmouth, Mass.), who registered a defensive save.  Senior goalkeeper Bryanna Tobin (Deep River, Conn.) turned away eight shots for the AMCATS and sophomore midfielder Lauren Lapierre (Worcester, Mass.) notched a pair of defensive saves in the match. Brittney Cherry (Worcester, Mass.) added another defensive stop for the visitors as well.

Courtesy of Simmons Athletics Commuications.

#5 Mount Ida 1, #4 Johnson & Wales 0
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Mount Ida field hockey team avenged an earlier 3-1 loss to Johnson & Wales (RI) by downing the Wildcats 1-0 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference quarterfinal action on Saturday afternoon. Both teams struggled to find their offensive footing and it was not until the 66th minute that the Mustangs were able to break through with the ultimate game-winner. 

Neither team was able to get much going offensively in the game, so it looked to be a low-scoring affair early on. Johnson & Wales freshman Heather Lind (Wakefield, R.I.) looked to test Mount Ida keeper Grace Ryan (Livermore Falls, Maine) with an early shot, but as she would throughout the contest, Ryan came up with the save. Back to back shots from Mustangs freshman Ema Atherton (Sanbornton, N.H.) put the pressure on the hosts' keeper Claire Nolan (West Bridgewater, Mass.), but she was able to keep the score notted at 0-0. The teams would head into the intermission with no score on the board, but the Mustangs did show offensive life in the half with a 6-3 lead shots. 

Second half action was much like the first, with both teams getting a number of looks at the net, but both goalies were able to set up and keep the clean sheets for their respective teams. Off a penalty corner in the 66^th minute, Johnson & Wales had three shots on goal, but all three were turned away by the Mustangs' Ryan. The Mustangs went the other way and Nolan made the first save, but Jennie Morey(Claremont, N.H) got the rebound and score the only goal of the game for her first goal of the season and her career. JWU was unable to get any more looks at the net and the Mustangs came away with the 1-0 win and the first playoff win in program history. 

The loss ends the Wildcats' season at 4-13 (3-4). Mount Ida improves to 10-7 and will face cross-town rival Lasell in the semifinals on Wednesday at 3:00pm.

Courtesy of Mount Ida Athletics Commuications.

Saturday, October 28 - First Round
Game 1: #5 Mount Ida 1, #4 Johnson & Wales 0 | BOX
Game 2: #3 Simmons 8, #6 Anna Maria 0 | BOX

Wednesday, November 1 - Semifinals
Game 3: #5 Mount Ida at #1  Lasell - 3:00 PM
Game 4: #3 Simmons at #2 Saint Joseph's of Maine - TBA

Saturday, November 4 - Final
Game 5: Highest remaining seed

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

– #TheGNAC –