Women's Lacrosse Falls 17-7 in GNAC Play at Saint Joseph's

STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (8-0, 4-0 GNAC) erased a 4-1 first-quarter deficit with eight unanswered goals in a 17-7 victory over Emmanuel College (3-5, 3-3 GNAC) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's lacrosse action at the SJC Athletics Complex on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Emmanuel held a 4-1 lead after junior midfielder Megan Steele (Auburn, Maine) scored with 4:50 left in the first quarter. Sophomore Megan Mourmouras (Biddeford, Maine) capped the opening period with her 12th goal of the season to make it a 4-2 game.

As it played out, the Mourmouras tally kicked off an eight-goal offensive surge, as grad student Lydia Dexter (Oakland, Maine) opened the second stanza with a goal at the 9:47 mark and sophomore Cailyn Wesley (Peabody, Mass.) tied the game at 4-4 with a strike off a Carson Battaglia (Gorham, Maine) assist just over two minutes later.

Dexter potted the go-ahead goal with seven minutes before the break and Battaglia and freshman Mackenzie Siebert (Naples, Maine) capped the first half scoring with the Monks on top, 7-4.

Siebert started the third quarter scoring with two tallies in a matter of 36 seconds and - after Emmanuel freshman Anna Drillen (Readfield, Maine) snapped the Saints' scoring drought with a goal at the 10:10 mark – added another pair to extend the SJC cushion to 11-5 with 7:24 left in the third period.

Holding a 12-7 advantage heading into the final frame, the Monks closed out the contest with five straight scores – including a pair from both Battaglia and Mourmouras – to account for the 17-7 final.

TEAM STATS:

Saint Joseph's held the lead in shots (33-22), shots on goal (26-19) and ground balls (19-17) while Emmanuel notched a 14-13 edge in draw controls.

THE KEEPERS:

SJC freshman netminder Morgan Wright (Chelmsford, Mass.) made 12 saves with four ground balls and three caused turnovers while Emmanuel senior goalie Emma Crowley (Peterborough, N.H.) tallied nine saves, two ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

·       Siebert led all players with five goals on six shots

·       Dexter registered three goals, four assists and five ground balls

·       Battaglia and Mourmouras notched three goals and an assist apiece

·       Wesley scored two goals and freshman Brianna Paul (Brattleboro, Vt.) delivered three assists

LEADERS – EMMANUEL:

·       Senior Chandra Franca (Woburn, Mass.) netted a pair of goals

·       Steele and Jessica Borduas (Woodbury, Conn.) added a goal and an assist apiece

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 11-2 in the history of the series with Emmanuel College and has now defeated the Saints in seven-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2014 campaign.

NEXT!

The Monks are back in action Tuesday with a 4:00 PM GNAC game at Lasell University. The Saints welcome Johnson & Wales University to Clemente Field on Tuesday for a 7:00 PM game.

*Release courtesy Saint Joseph's College Athletic Communications