STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (5-1, 1-0 NAC) shut out University of Southern Maine (4-4, 1-1 LEC), 1-0, in a non-conference field hockey contest at Mercy Field on Thursday afternoon. Senior Melanie Allen (Jackson, N.H.) scored in the 41st minute off a Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) feed to lift the Monks to victory.
For Saint Joseph's, the win over Southern Maine is just the second in 17 tries versus the in-state rival. The shutout victory counts as the Monks' first-ever goose-egg effort against the Huskies, a team that defeated the Royal Blue by the same 1-0 margin – after penalty strokes – last fall.
Both squads had chances to break the scoreless deadlock, but the Monks would punch in what turned out to be the game's only tally at the 40:22 mark on a penalty corner attempt taken off the line by senior Elizabeth Andersen (Cumberland, Maine). Allen gathered Andersen's pass at the top of the circle and quickly dished to Hendrix, who dangled the ball to the right around a fallen USM defender and threaded a crossing pass to Allen, who finished the play with a shot to the bottom left corner.
For Allen, the goal was her first game-winner since her freshman season when she netted winners versus Salem State and Endicott College. Three of Allen's eight career goals have come against the Huskies.
St. Joe's senior keeper Taylor Allison (Pawtucket, R.I.) made five saves to notch her fourth shutout in six starts while her counterpart, USM junior netminder Kayla Kennedy (Windham, Maine) stopped five of the six shots she faced in a losing effort.
The Monks held a 9-8 edge in shots and a commanding 19-9 lead in penalty corners on the afternoon.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 2-15 in the history of the series with University of Southern Maine, a program that defeated the Royal Blue in 14 consecutive meetings from 1996 to 2009. The Monks' other victory over the Huskies occurred in Gorham on September 23rd, 2010, when St. Joe's toppled USM by a 4-1 margin.
Both teams face conference opponents in New Hampshire this Saturday, as Saint Joseph's takes on New England College in Henniker in a 1:00 PM start and Southern Maine battles Keene State College at 1:30 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.
