STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (2-0, 1-0 NAC) walked past Lasell College (1-3, 0-1 NAC), 5-0, in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) field hockey action at Mercy Field on Saturday afternoon.
Five different Monks found the back of the cage, including a pair of first-year SJC stickers, Allyson Allard (Parsonsfield, Maine) and Meghan Williams (Greenland, N.H./St. Thomas Aquinas), who netted their first NCAA markers in the triumph
After a scoreless first half, the Royal Blue came out firing in the second stanza as the hosts tallied three goals in a matter of 16 minutes to secure control of the conference contest. Senior Elizabeth Andersen (Cumberland, Maine) ignited the Monks' offense with her first goal of the year in the 44th minute after collecting a rebound off a Rachelle Messuri (Atkinson, N.H.) shot. Not to be outdone, Messuri doubled the hosts' cushion with her team-leading third goal of the year just over 12 minutes later.
Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) joined in the scoring barrage barely three minutes after Messuri's marker when the junior midfielder buried a blast from just inside the circle on the left side for her first collegiate tally.
Allard tacked on her inaugural college goal at the 62:18 mark after collecting a loose ball in front of Lasers netminder Cassie Aviles (Bellingham, Mass.) and Williams joined her classmate on the SJC scoring docket just over three minutes later on a similar play, capping the game-scoring with the Monks owning a considerable 5-0 advantage.
With no offensive support, Aviles was the hard-luck loser after making 13 saves, including seven in a clean first half. Saint Joseph's senior keeper Taylor Allison (Pawtucket, R.I.) was not tested in her second shutout in as many games this fall.
With the result, St. Joe's improves to 11-2 in the history of the series with Lasell College and has now defeated the Lasers in seven straight meetings dating back to the 2006 campaign. Six of the Monks' 11 wins have come by way of the shutout.
Saint Joseph's, which opened the season with a 3-0 win over Eastern Connecticut last Sunday, has kicked off a campaign with consecutive shutouts three times in the last six years under the watch of defensive-minded Head Coach Rupert Lewis.
Saint Joseph's returns to action on Sunday when the Royal Blue plays host to non-conference foe Anna Maria College in a 1:00 PM start. Lasell is off until the team hosts Wheelock College on Thursday in a non-league tilt slated to start at 4:00 PM.
Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.
