SAINTS LOSE OVERTIME HEARTBREAKER TO SIMMONS

BOSTON, Mass. – Greer Gilbert scored her second goal of the game with 1:23 remaining in the first overtime period to give the Simmons College soccer team a 2-1 win over Emmanuel College on Tuesday night at Clemente Field. The victory pushes the Sharks to 8-6 overall and 7-1 in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), while the loss snaps a five-game winning streak for the Saints, who drop to 8-8 and 6-2 in the GNAC.

Emmanuel controlled play for the large majority of the first half, putting five shots on goal, compared to Simmons' zero. However, the Saints were unable to put a shot past Sharks goalkeeper Briana Hayes.

Saints freshman Mikayla Guthrie (North Andover, Mass.) dominated the right side of the field, beating numerous defenders on the dribble and creating multiple scoring opportunities for the Saints. One of those opportunities came in the 32nd minute, when Guthrie split two defenders and found space into the box. Her shot was on goal, but Hayes stood her ground and made the stop. 

Three minutes later, Guthrie made another play towards goal, crossing the ball to senior Molly Carey (Swampscott, Mass.) at the top of the box. Carey got a good piece of the ball, driving it towards goal, but it sailed just high for a goal kick. 

The remainder of the half consisted of the Saints maintaining possession and working the ball towards the goal, but they were unable to convert on any of their opportunities. 

The second half was much like the first, as the ball spent a majority of time in the Simmons defensive end. 

In the 52^nd minute, the Carey sisters worked a great give-and-go down the right sideline to earn a corner kick. Molly Carey drove the corner towards the box where freshman Kayla Generis (Wethersfield, Conn.) knocked a volley towards goal but it missed inches high and the game remained scoreless. 

A few minutes later, the Saints pressure continued as senior captain Ari Cardillo (Richmond, Mass.) carried a ball from the defensive end and down left sideline towards the goal. She crossed the ball through the box to the far side, finding Molly Carey who drove a shot to the far bottom corner, but it was cleared by a Simmons defender. 

As the clock ran past the 70^th minute, a ball was played in towards Emmanuel sophomore goalkeeper Tori LaRoche (Hudson, N.H.) who charged out of the goal and collided with sophomore Emily Gilman (Windham, Maine), but prevented a goal by knocking the ball out of play. 

With less than 11 minutes remaining, reigning GNAC offensive player of the week Kashka Gammon was able to play a ball over the top of the Emmanuel back line and onto Gilbert's foot. Gilbert chipped the ball over LaRoche, who had charged towards the ball, and watched it glide into the back of the net. The goal ended LaRoche's program-record shutout streak at 529:33. 

Emmanuel didn't waste any time to push for an equalizer, as they earned a corner kick less than four minutes after Gilbert's goal. Molly Carey drove the corner into the penalty area and senior captain Katelyn Fink used her height to get a head on it. The ball snuck past a defender and bounced into the goal to tie the game at 1-1. 

Both teams had a shot on goal in the final six minutes, but both goalkeepers protected their respective goals and the Battle of Brookline headed to extra time.