Colby-Sawyer Win First GNAC Title, Beat Simmons 5-2 in the Final
Top seed, perfect conference record, home crowd, and a first title on the line. Colby-Sawyer didn’t mess around.
The Chargers beat sixth-seeded Simmons 5-2 in the GNAC championship on Saturday in New London, and the game was basically decided in a third-quarter burst. Twelve shots, three goals, and a 2-1 lead turned into something Simmons couldn’t chase down.
Simmons had made a game of it early. Colby-Sawyer scored five minutes in, and the Sharks answered straight after the break through Hailey Brisson, a penalty-corner routine finished off a Nora Desrosiers delivery via Lilly Taglieri. 1-1. Ten minutes later the Chargers were back in front, and that was the last time it felt close.
The third quarter was the story. Colby-Sawyer came out of half-time and just kept coming, twelve shots and three goals, and Simmons keeper Haley Bright was left picking the ball out of the net while making save after save. She finished with 21 stops in her last game as a Shark, which tells you plenty about the pressure she was under.
Penelope Long got one back late for Simmons, her second effort in two attempts, but two minutes was all that was left and the 5-2 scoreline held.
This is Colby-Sawyer’s first GNAC title. Now they’re 18-2, they went a perfect 9-0 in the conference, and they take the GNAC’s automatic spot in the NCAA Division III championship. They find out who they play when the selection show airs on Sunday night, 10pm ET.
For Simmons, the run ends here, and it was a good one for a six seed. They knocked off Dean 4-1 in the semi, it was their second GNAC final since 2024, and they made the top seed work for an hour. Seven seniors graduate now, including Bright and Long, and that’s a group that dragged this team further than anyone expected.
