NEWTON, Mass. (9/19/15) – Senior Cristina Wilson (Wilmington, Mass.) was the deciding factor in a 4-3 women's field hockey overtime triumph against reigning GNAC champions Simmons College on Saturday afternoon at Grellier Field. With the win, the Lasers advance to 2-3 overall and remain undefeated in the GNAC at 2-0, while the Sharks fall to 5-2 on the year and even out at 1-1 in conference play.
Lasell freshman Cailin Flannery (Medford, N.J.) wasted little time getting the home team on the board, as she set herself up for a breakaway goal two minutes into the contest for the 1-0 lead. The Lasers continued to press offensively, and found themselves in scoring position 11 minutes later with an awarded penalty corner. Senior Ashlee Pechulis (Westfield, Mass.) remained composed in a scuffle in the offensive zone, and found freshman Julia Franzik (Wallingford, Conn.) for the second goal of the game.
Frankzik wasn't done for the day, however, as she entered the 26th minute with a deke on a Simmons' defender, and blasted a shot in the bottom right of the net to give the Lasers the 3-0 advantage.
The Sharks were quick to respond to the third goal at 28:53, as sophomore Julie Saltamartini (East Hampstead, N.H.) chucked up an unassisted goal for the final tally of the half as the teams headed into the halftime break.
The Sharks were relentless in the second stanza, and rallied to even out the score at three, via goals by sophomore Maizy Wagner (Chester County, Pa.) and junior Amy Wilson (Falmouth, Mass.). Pecuhulis snuck in a shot with one minute remaining in regulation that floated just wide, at which point overtime play was announced at Grellier Field.
In a sudden death, 15 minute overtime situation, the Lasers came out with full momentum and focus, as Flannery fired off a shot one minute in. At 79:15, Flannery dished the ball perfectly to Wilsons' stick, where Wilson produced a quick and strong shot to the back of the cage for the 4-3 overtime thriller.
Simmons held a 19-9 advantage in shots with an 11-5 margin in penalty corners against Lasell.
Lasers' sophomore net minder Denise Landry (New Mildford, Conn.) stopped seven of 10 shots on net, and improves her overall record to 2-3. Sharks' junior keeper Brianna Rastello (Salem, N.H.) recorded four saves in the game, and drops to 5-2 this year.
Both teams return to non-conference action on Tuesday, September 22. The Lasers will return to Grellier Field for a matchup against Salve Regina at 4:00 p.m., while the Sharks welcome Wheaton College for a game under the lights scheduled for 7:00 p.m.