BOSTON, Mass. (Fenway) – The Dean College field hockey team was eliminated from postseason contention on Wednesday evening, falling in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semi-final round to Simmons University by a final score of 4-1. The Bulldogs' season ends, while the Sharks advance to the GNAC title game.
Notables:
-
Emily Yazzetti (Mahopac, N.Y.) tallied the only goal for Dean in the contest, moving her to 49 goals in her collegiate career. She also finishes her third collegiate season with 139 total points, the most in program history.
-Simmons advances to their first GNAC championship game since 2024. They are also the first six seed in GNAC history to make it to the championship round.
How it Happened:
-The teams played a scoreless opening quarter, with both defenses limiting scoring opportunities. Goalkeeper
Sara Gardner (Hampstead, Md.) made two saves in the period, while
Katrina Lee (Brookline, N.H.) tested Simmons goalkeeper Haley Bright with a pair of shots. The Bulldogs also earned a penalty corner as they looked to break through.
-Simmons opened the scoring at 24:23. Nora Desrosiers finished a feed from Penelope Long, giving the Sharks a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
-The Sharks added to their advantage just 1:36 into the third quarter, as Madyson Reed converted a pass from Lilly Taglieri to make it 2-0.
-With the pressure on, Dean found their response at 42:37. Yazzetti found the back of the cage, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Yazzetti led the Bulldogs with five shots, four on goal.
-The momentum was short-lived, however, as Simmons answered just over a minute later. Alex Wemple scored off a Katy Paveglio assist at 43:41 to restore the Sharks' two-goal cushion going into halftime.
-The Bulldogs continued to push in the fourth quarter, generating six shots and seven penalty corners. They also pulled Gardner from the cage, allowing an extra attacker to enter the game in the final three minutes.
-Simmons added their final insurance goal at 57:44, with Hailey Brisson scoring off an assist from Desrosiers to seal the 4-1 result.
-Gardner finished with five saves for Dean, while Bright recorded eight stops for Simmons. The Bulldogs totaled 13 shots, including nine on goal, and earned 11 penalty corners. Lee and
Emily Kilpatrick (Marion, Mass.) each put both of their shots on target.
Standouts:
-Yazzetti (Goal, 4 SOG, 5 Total Shots)
-Gardner (5 Saves, 3 GA, 56:03 Minutes Played)
The 2026 season has concluded for the Dean College field hockey team. For more information regarding the 2027 campaign, please stay tuned on deanbulldogs.com.
For Media Inquiries:
Brett Chaves
Sports Information Director, Dean College Athletics
(508) 541-1826
BChaves@dean.edu
