Field Hockey Bested By Sharks On Senior Day Saturday

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) field hockey team dropped a 5-0 decision to the Sharks of Simmons University (SIMM), in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match on the USJ Field Hockey Field, on a sunny Senior Day Saturday afternoon.

The Blue Jay faithful turned up for an ideal fall afternoon full of festivities, as the USJ Department of Athletics recognized the three field hockey student-athletes who will be receiving undergraduate degrees in the spring. Senior defender Maeve Foley (Wethersfield, Conn.), defender Nina Lestrud (Torrington, Conn.), and captain and midfielder Taya Valdez (East Lyme, Conn.) joined USJ Athletic Director Amanda Devitt and the field hockey coaching staff at midfield for the celebration before game time. Three Simmons seniors were also recognized prior to the opening whistle.

The Blue Jays held the Sharks in check with a scoreless first period, but Simmons unloaded with a four-spot in the second period to put the game away. Freshman attack Hannah Groves (Durham, Maine) and freshman Emilia Elko (Richboro, Pa.) handled the scoring for Simmons. Elko scored or assisted on all of the goals in this one (three goals, two assists). USJ did manage to get seven shots off, but were unable to find the back of the cage.

GAME INFORMATION
Score:  Saint Joseph 0, Simmons 5
Records: USJ (4-10, 3-7 GNAC), SIMM (9-5, 7-3 GNAC)
Location: USJ Field Hockey Field | West Hartford, Conn.

COACH QUOTE [Karen Nell] "I was really happy with the first period. I thought we came out and stayed with them most of the time. A couple of the goals were unfortunate, but it wasn't from a lack of effort. We kicked it back in though and stayed in the game. That was our philosophy the whole way, was to win each period after that. We have come a long way, and we are going to just keep being aggressive and working on things. All the seniors got to play today, and they all put in a great effort for us. We are really proud of them as well."

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays will embark on one of their longest trips of the season in their season finale, a GNAC matchup at Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Wednesday, October 27, at 5:30 p.m. in Standish, Maine.

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