SALEM, MA – Saint Joseph's College (11-2, 5-2 NAC) topped Salem State University (6-6, 4-3 LEC), 2-0, in non-conference field hockey action on Thursday evening. Senior midfielder Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) scored both of the Monks' goals in the shutout victory.
Saint Joseph's registered just two shots versus the host-Vikings, but both bids were on the mark as Hendrix steered a pair of attempts to the back of the cage to help the Monks win their third-consecutive contest. Salem State took the loss despite owning an 8-2 advantage in shots and an 11-3 lead in penalty corners.
Hendrix netted her first goal of the game in the 30th minute of play when she took a shot, from outside the zone, which was tipped past Vikings netminder Michaela Boyer (South Hadley, Mass.). The senior captain struck again 7:49 into the second stanza when she hit pay dirt off a Rachelle Messuri (Atkinson, N.H.) assist on a penalty corner attempt injected by sophomore Meghan Williams (Greenland, N.H./St. Thomas Aquinas).
The Vikings had several chances to get on the board early, as a shot taken by Kathryn Hart struck the post at the 9:08 mark and SJC sophomore Kayla Royer (Greene, Maine) made a defensive save on a Maria Giuffrida (Leicester, Mass.) shot five minutes later.
Saint Joseph's freshmen keepers Emma Astbury (Bridgewater, Vt.) - who made one stop in 48:19 between the pipes - and Mariah Farrell (Vassalboro, Maine) combined to post the shutout victory. Boyer did not make a save in the losing effort for the hosts.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 4-1 in the history of the series with Salem State University. Four of the meetings between the New England region foes have been of the shutout variety, including a 1-0 SJC victory over the Vikings at Mercy Field last fall.
Saint Joseph's is off until next Wednesday when the Monks host conference-rival Maine-Farmington at 3:30 PM. Salem State faces Plymouth State College at home on Saturday at 12:00 PM.
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
