STANDISH, ME – Kayla Nowell '11 (Bridgton, ME) found the back of the cage in the ninth minute of overtime to propel #1 Saint Joseph's 13-5, 7-0 NAC) past #4 Castleton State (12-7, 4-3 NAC), 2-1, in a North Atlantic Conference Semifinal at Lakeside Field on Wednesday afternoon.

The game was both fast-paced and well played, as both of the evenly-matched teams had plenty of scoring opportunities throughout. The Monks struck first off a Courtney Rague '11 (Old Orchard Beach, ME) marker 6:02 into the match and Spartans forward Courtney Nolan '11 (Spring Lake Heights, NJ) tied the game nearly eight minutes later. Despite the early fireworks, the game remained at the 1-1 deadlock until Nowell netted the clincher 64 minutes later.

With the victory, top-seeded St. Joe's advances to the NAC Championship game for the second time in three years. The Monks will host second-seeded Husson University (9-5, 6-1 NAC), the reigning conference champs, at 1:00 PM on Saturday. The Eagles handled #3 seed Maine-Farmington earlier today by a 5-0 margin to advance to the title bout.

Saint Joseph's applied all the pressure at the onset and capitalized when Rague scored her team-leading 14th goal of the season off a beautifully placed pass from Alyssa Dunn '11 (Standish, ME) in the seventh minute.

After a failed SJC penalty corner, the Spartans attempted to clear the ball out of their defensive end, but Dunn stopped the advance and quickly led Rague with a feather pass. After dangling past several defenders and forcing Castleton goalie Siobhan Whittemore '11 (Springfield, VT) to leave the goalmouth with a nice sidestep move, Rague steered the ball into an empty cage to put the Royal Blue on top 1-0.

Nearly eight minutes later, after another unsuccessful corner by the Monks, Castleton was able to move the ball upfield quickly in transition to set up the game-tying score. Kealy Chipman '13 (Bellows Falls, VT), streaking up the left side of the field, found Nolan with a crossing pass and the senior finished the play with a laser shot to the left corner just beyond the outstretched right leg of SJC keeper Meaghan Johnson '12 (Portland, ME/Cheverus).

With the goal, the momentum shifted in Castleton's favor for the remainder of the first half, as the Spartans managed to register four shots on target in the final 20 minutes of the opening stanza. Johnson made a pair of acrobatic saves during a flurry of Castleton opportunities, but perhaps the play of the day was made by defender Brittany Locke '13 (Waterville, ME), who recorded a vital defensive save on a shot by Nolan at the 24:44 mark.

Saint Joseph's opened the second half with a burst of energy and nearly hit pay dirt when Nowell found a seam and rattled off a two close-proximity shots. The first attempt was stopped cold by Whittemore, but the rebound went directly to Nowell who missed an open net with a shot that sailed high.

Rague registered another SJC opportunity shortly thereafter, but was unable to control a bouncing ball in the crease on a play that surely would have resulted in a score. Renee Leach '12 (Springvale, ME) recorded a similar chance at the 55:40 mark after receiving a well-placed crossing pass, but her shot hit the left side of the cage.

The match, featuring the top scoring team in the conference (Castleton, 3.8 goals per game) and the league's stingiest defense (St. Joe's, 1.33 goals allowed per game), was headed for extra play. After a five-minute intermission, 15 minutes - during which the teams would duel seven-on-seven - was added to the clock.

Johnson, who wasn't forced to make a save during the entire second half, made four saves during eight frenzied minutes of overtime play, including a pair in the early going. Mercedes Maltbie '13 (Warrensburg, NY) and Rachel Preusser '14 (Craryville, NY) both saw scoring opportunities denied by Johnson in the first 2:25 of the extra frame.

The Monks' defensive efforts and Johnson's all-out play effectively countered the fact that Castleton had five shots on goal and three penalty corners in overtime.

As it turned out, the Monks were able to convert on their first chance of the extra frame. At the 77:54 mark, Leach sent an entry-pass off a corner to Rague, who fired a shot on net that was stopped by Whittemore. Nowell immediately scooped up the rebound and fired a waist-high shot into the cage to lift her team to a thrilling 2-1 triumph.

With the win, the Monks have an opportunity to not only avenge a semifinal loss suffered at the hands of the Eagles last fall, but also to notch the program's first-ever NCAA DIII Tournament berth, which is awarded to the North Atlantic Conference Champion.

Johnson recorded seven saves for St. Joe's, while Whittemore posted five stops for Castleton. The Spartans held a 13-12 edge in shots and the Monks had a 15-7 advantage in penalty corners.