Simmons Field Hockey opened their season at home Tuesday night with a 3-1 loss to Wheaton College.

Wheaton's Alisa Ardito (Branford, CT) scored twice within the first seven minutes of the first half. Simmons regrouped, and freshman Lee Sutherland (Wolfeboro, NH) scored, with an assist from junior forward Emily Sypher (Orono, ME).

The second half saw a more controlled pace from the Sharks with a few near misses on goal. Wheaton's Alex Block (Saratoga, CA) scored the Lyons' final goal with eight minutes remaining on the clock.

The Sharks' freshman goalkeeper Mary Simeoli (Westfield, MA) turned away 10 shots in her debut for Simmons field hockey.

Head Coach Kate Leonard was pleased with her team's efforts as the team begins to rebuild. "Overall, I think they played hard, and did well spotting open players and blocking free hits," said Leonard. "Emily made some smart decisions, and Nicole Morrison on defense was aggressive and had the right energy. She was there when we needed it in the back."

Sharks Field Hockey will see more action on Thursday, September 4, when they play away at UMass-Dartmouth at 7:00pm.