STANDISH, Maine – #2 Saint Joseph's College (11-7, 9-1 GNAC) will host #7 Simmons University (5-12, 5-5 GNAC) in a 2025 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Field Hockey Tournament Quarterfinal at 11:00 AM on Saturday, November 1.

The winner of the #2 Saint Joseph's / #7 Simmons quarterfinal will advance to Wednesday's semifinal to face the #3 Colby-Sawyer / #6 University of Saint Joseph winner. Semifinal victors will meet in the GNAC Championship on Saturday, November 8, with the conference title and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament (beginning November 12) on the line.

BRACKETOLOGY

Quarterfinals – Saturday, Nov. 1 (Hosted by higher seeds)

#1 Dean vs. #8 Rivier – 11:00 AM
#2 Saint Joseph's (Maine) vs. #7 Simmons – 11:00 AM
#3 Colby-Sawyer vs. #6 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) – 12:00 PM
#4 New England College vs. #5 Lasell – 1:00 PM

Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 5 (Hosted by higher seeds)

#1/8 Winner vs. #4/5 Winner – TBD
#2/7 Winner vs. #3/6 Winner – TBD

Championship – Saturday, Nov. 8

Semifinal winners – TBD

QUICK FACTS

• Saint Joseph's is 6-2 at home, while Simmons is 2-6 on the road this fall.
• In their last six games, the Monks are 4-2, while the Sharks are 2-4.
• St. Joe's is 14-4 all-time versus Simmons in home contests.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Saint Joseph's:

• Maya Waryas (Sr., Bellows Falls, Vt.) – 21 goals, 7 assists, 49 points, 2 game-winners; ranks third in the GNAC in goals and fourth in points and shots (100).
• Kienna Haley (Sr., Scarborough, Maine) – 20 goals, including three game-clinchers this fall.
• Ava Markham (Fr., Belfast, Maine) – 6 goals, 13 assists, and 3 game-winners; four-time GNAC Rookie of the Week.
• Sadie Tirrell (Sr., Naples, Maine) – 3 goals, 4 assists, and 2 defensive saves as a versatile two-way contributor.
• Chloe Grosso (Sr., Westbrook, Maine) – Defensive anchor with a team-leading five defensive saves.

Simmons:

• Nora Desrosiers (Fr., Attleboro, Mass.) – Team leader in goals (6) and tied for the team lead in points (12).
• Hailey Brisson (So., Weare, N.H.) & Penelope Long (Jr., Vineyard Haven, Mass.) – 5 goals, 2 assists, 12 points each.
• Lilly Taglieri (Jr., Westfield, Mass.) – 4 goals, 3 assists, 11 points.

KEEPER COMPARISON

Saint Joseph's:

Junior Kimberley McLaughlin (Lewiston, Maine) has enjoyed a strong first season as a starter, recording a 2.55 GAA with 109 saves and a .732 save percentage in 943 minutes of action.

Simmons:

The Sharks have employed a "goalkeeper-by-committee" approach and is the only GNAC team with four players logging 150+ minutes in net. Haley Bright (Jr., Norfolk, Mass.) leads the unit in minutes (440), saves (55), and save percentage (.753), while Sam Buck (Jr., Portsmouth, N.H.), Jamila Mohamed (So., Scarborough, Maine), and Trinity Williamson (So., Spofford, N.H.) have all started multiple contests this season.

THE SKIPPERS

Saint Joseph's – Theresa Arsenault '14 (2nd Season, 21-18 / .539)

Arsenault inherited the program from Hall of Famer Rupert Lewis in 2024 after SJC's first sub-.500 campaign (7-12) in 16 years. In just two seasons, she's restored the Monks' winning standard with consecutive double-digit win totals. Her demanding non-conference slate, which featured nationally-ranked Babson and Endicott, has prepared SJC for another deep postseason push.

Simmons – Tori Shaffer (3rd Season, 36-20 / .643)

Shaffer has upheld Simmons' tradition of field hockey excellence, earning 2024 GNAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Sharks to an 18-4 record (10-2 GNAC) and a GNAC Championship appearance.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

The teams last faced off on September 20, when the Monks earned a dramatic 3-2 (2-0) shootout win at the SJC Athletics Complex.

Saint Joseph's led 1-0 on a Waryas strike before Simmons surged ahead with goals late in the first half and early in the third. Haley's equalizer in the 54th minute, assisted by Markham, forced overtime. After two tense extra frames featuring key stops by McLaughlin, Markham and Emilia Galimberti (Sr., Wolfeboro, N.H.) converted in the shootout, while McLaughlin denied all four Simmons attempts to clinch the victory.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

With that result, Saint Joseph's improved to 22-12 all-time versus Simmons, snapping a four-game skid and earning its first win over the Sharks since 2019.

POSTSEASON HISTORY

The Monks — four-time GNAC champions (2016–19) — have reached the postseason in all 11 years as a GNAC member, boasting an 11-6 all-time record in conference tournament play.

Simmons, which captured the first two GNAC field hockey titles in 2014 and 2015, has qualified for the postseason every year and holds a 12-8 record in GNAC tournament games. The last postseason matchup between these two programs came in the 2018 GNAC Semifinal, where Saint Joseph's prevailed 6-0 at home.