STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (2-0, 1-0 NAC) defeated Lasell College (1-3, 0-1), 3-1, in a North Atlantic Conference contest at Lakeside Field on Saturday afternoon. Courtney Rague '11 (Old Orchard Beach, ME) posted a goal and an assist in the Monks' victory.
Sarah Bartell '12 (Exeter, NH) and Rachelle Messuri '14 (Atkinson, NH) also scored for the Royal Blue, while Stephanie Lombardo '13 (Steep Falls, ME) and Melanie Allen '13 (Jackson, NH) notched assists in the conference conquest.
Tia Pratt '11 (Oxford Hills, ME) accounted for the Lasers' offensive output with an unassisted goal in the 63rd minute of play. Lasell keeper Christine Thornton '12 (Canton, MA) made eight stops in the losing effort.
The Monks controlled the pace of the contest for the most part, especially in the early going, but Thornton proved up to the task on several SJC scoring opportunities. The junior goalie received some help from her posts as well, as Kayla Nowell '11 (Bridgton, ME) clanged a shot off the left pipe at the 12:17 mark.
Bartell put the Monks on top with her second goal of the year 23 minutes into play. Rague set up the play with a thread-the-needle pass in traffic, left to right. Rague added the first goal of her senior campaign with 1:41 remaining in the first half to provide the Royal Blue with a 2-0 cushion heading into intermission.
Messuri collected her first collegiate tally in the 61st minute off an Allen dish to make it a 3-0 game. A corner by the Lasers eventually led to a goal for the visitors, as Pratt collected a loose ball in front of the SJC net and beat Monks keeper Meaghan Johnson '12 (Portland, ME/Cheverus) at the 62:31 mark to cap the game-scoring.
Saint Joseph's held a commanding advantage in shots (15-3) and shots on target (11-1) while holding a slim 9-7 edge in penalty corners. With the victory, the Monks improve to 9-2 all-time against the Lasers.
St. Joe's will play again on Tuesday, September 14th at University of New England in a 4:00 PM start, while Lasell returns to action on Wednesday with a home contest against Plymouth State.
