STANDISH, Maine – Simmons College (2-4-2, 1-1-0 GNAC) shut out Saint Joseph's College (4-5-0, 1-1-0 GNAC), 2-0, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's soccer match at Westerlea Way Field on Saturday afternoon. Monks freshman goalkeeper Brooke Troup (East Bridgewater, Mass.) made seven saves in the loss.
With neither side posting a multitude of scoring opportunities early, the Sharks netted what turned out to be the game winner in the 25th minute. Following a free kick, freshman forward Erin Montambault (Watertown, Conn.) gathered a bouncing ball inside the 18 and placed a kick past Troup, who abandoned the back line in an attempt to clear.
Simmons effectively put the game out of reach in the 76th minute when junior forward Greer Gilbert (Falmouth, Mass.) potted her third goal of the fall after gathering a rebound in close proximity to the net. Freshman defender Gabriella Davis (Duxbury, Mass.) started the play with a well-placed corner kick from the right and an initial shot taken by sophomore Ali Berkman (Natick, Mass.) was denied with a nice sprawling save by Troup, but the rebound landed on the foot of Gilbert, who belted a shot to the left panel of the net to provide the visitors with a 2-0 cushion. Gilbert had entered the game just three minutes prior as a substitute for Elise Nothacker (Philadelphia, Pa.).
Overall, Simmons owned slight advantages in shots (12-11) and corner kicks (5-4) on the afternoon. Sharks junior netminder Briana Hayes (Manorville, N.Y.) made a pair of saves to record her second shutout of the season.
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 4-4-1 in the history of the series with Simmons College, a team the Monks edged by a 1-0 margin in Boston last season.
The Monks are off until next Saturday when the side hosts GNAC-rival Albertus Magnus College at 1:00 PM. Simmons hosts Rivier University in a conference contest slated to begin at 7:00 PM on Friday.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.