By Nafeesa Connolly
Staff Writer

The Sharks Field Hockey team wrapped up their regular season on Sunday, defeating the Husson University Eagles 5-3 in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) match-up.

The Sharks’ win earned them a three-way tie for third place in the conference, placing them at #5 in the NAC tournament. This ranking is the Sharks’ highest finish since 2005.

“[It] was a very challenging weekend,” said Head Coach Amanda Maxwell. “The team really rallied and never gave up.”

Forward/mid-fielder Gabrielle Henderson put the Sharks at 1-0 within four minutes of the first half. Despite the Eagles taking the lead later on with two goals, Simmons tied the match with five minutes to the second half after sophomore forward Amy Cronin made a penalty corner shot.

The Eagles took the lead within five minutes of the second half, leaving the score at 3-2. Sharks first-year forward Mary Neidhardt scored a goal to tie up the game, and later, Simmons earned the lead with a penalty shot by Cronin. The Sharks won the match after Neidhardt scored her second goal in the last five minutes.

“We went into [the] game focusing on executing the basics and playing to the best of our ability. I believe we displayed this very well on Sunday’s game, especially in the second half,” said Maxwell.

With the regular season in the books, the team will prepare for the NAC playoffs and will travel to University of Maine at Farmington for the quarterfinals this Saturday, Nov. 2, at 1 p.m.

“Going into this weekend, we will continue to focus on playing as a team and really working together. We will be playing on a grass field, which can be challenging at times, so we will practice all week on grass to be fully prepared,” said Maxwell.

The winner of Saturday’s match will advance to the semifinals held at the higher seed’s field on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The winner of that game will head to the NAC Championship round on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the highest remaining seed’s field.

“I am so proud of the team this year and their continued effort every time they step on the field,” said Maxwell. “At this point in the season, it really comes down to which team will execute their game plan and who wants it more. There’s no doubt in my mind that this group of twenty want it more!”