Anna Maria Field Hockey to Face Simmons in GNAC Championship After Upsetting Top-Seeded Saint Joseph's

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TOURNAMENT BRACKET

Junior Kylie Dalbec (Portland, Maine) scored in the 54th minute to lead the fourth-seeded Anna Maria College field hockey team to a 1-0 win against top-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Wednesday afternoon in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament semifinal.

With the win, the AMCATS advance to the GNAC Championship on Saturday and will take on second-seeded Simmons College, which defeated third-seeded Johnson & Wales University, 5-2, Wednesday night at Bridgewater State. A time and site for the contest has yet to be announced. 

#4 ANNA MARIA 1, #1 SAINT JOSEPH'S 0
STANDISH, Maine — The AMCATS were outshot 11-2 in the contest but the underdogs showed resilience, as junior goaltender Mary Kate Breen (Londonderry, N.H.) tallied eight saves in the win, including a big save to seal the win as time expired in the game.

Dalbec's goal, assisted by senior Nichole Lowe (Saugus, Mass., pictured) was the 21st goal of her season and was scored on a scrum in front of the net.

The Monks would have many more opportunities to score over the contest, as they were awarded a 19-3 advantage in penalty corners and bested the AMCATS in shots-on-goal, 8-2. Leading the offensive effort for Saint Joseph's was Theresa Hendrix with a game-high four shots, all of which were on-goal.

It marks the fourth straight championship appearance for the AMCATS, who won back-to-back New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) championships entering this season. 

#2 SIMMONS 5, #3 JOHNSON & WALES
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - Sophomore forward Jenna Gagnon (Waterville, Maine) tallied a pair of goals to lead Simmons over Johnson & Wales, 5-2, Wednesday evening on Swenson Field in Bridgewater, Mass. The Sharks have won eight of their last nine matches and improve to 12-5 on the season, while the Wildcats fall to 13-7.

Junior midfielder Amy Cronin (Georgetown, Mass.) sent a centering pass to Gagnon inside the box, where she turned and fired for her sixth goal of the season just 6:17 into the match to give the Sharks a 1-0 edge. Sophomore midfielder Amy Wilson (Falmouth, Mass.) added to the Simmons' lead when she converted a penalty stroke at the at the 15-minute mark for her third tally of the year.

Johnson & Wales cut the deficit in half when first year forward Giovanna Ciavardoni (Latham, N.Y.) fed senior forward Courtney McTague (Saugus, Mass.) for her 15th marker of the season on a shot right in front of the cage at 26:54 of the opening half. The score remained 2-1 at the intermission.

Gagnon padded the Sharks' cushion to 3-1 when Wilson found her in the right slot for a sweeping backhanded shot that found the back of the cage for her second goal of the night just 2:51 into the second stanza. The Simmons offense took advantage of the Wildcats being down a player, due to a yellow card, tacking on another goal at 49:39. Simmons continued to roll when first year forward Julie Saltamartini (East Hampstead, N.H.) also cut through the JWU backfield and beat the keeper for her team-high 13th goal of the season to give the Sharks a 5-1 advantage with just under 10 minutes to play. 

Johnson & Wales answered just 65 seconds later when freshman midfielder Ali King (San Diego, Calif.) picked up a loose ball in the box and scored on a backhanded shot to pull the Wildcats to within 5-2 at 66:23.

Sophomore goalie Brianna Rastello (Salem, N.H.) turned away four shots to earn the victory for the Sharks, while first year keeper Shannon Yoder (Boyertown, Pa.) made four saves for the Wildcats as well.

Information Provided by Anna Maria, Simmons Athletics Communications.

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