STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (5-1, 1-0 GNAC) edged University of Southern Maine (4-4, 1-1 LEC), 1-0, in a non-conference field hockey match at Mercy Field on Thursday afternoon. Freshman Bailey Cutler (Lisbon Falls, Maine) netted the game's lone goal, off a Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) pass, 10:27 into the first half.
The Monks, despite owning a 10-5 shots advantage and an 18-1 lead in penalty corners, were unable to add to their slim cushion and escaped a late USM flurry unscathed to claim the victory. With 3:05 remaining, Huskies senior forward Peyton Dostie (Standish, Maine) was sprung free on a breakaway, but her shot attempt sailed wide to the right as several Saint Joseph's defenders closed in. Just 20 seconds later, USM senior Rebecca Pratt (Cornville, Maine) collected a loose ball amidst chaos near the goalmouth and sent a shot on target, but SJC senior defender Emily Jordan (Whitefield, Maine) was in position to make a defensive save and deny the scoring chance.
Cutler's third goal of the season was the end result of a well-executed penalty corner play. Junior Amanda Celata (Dedham, Mass.), serving as the injector, sent the ball into play with a feed to senior Effie Drew (Portland, Maine), who delivered a crisp pass to Hendrix. The senior midfielder let a shot fly towards the right post where Cutler was positioned, and the rookie midfielder finished with a perfect deflection into the right corner of the cage past USM keeper Amanda Kasbohm (York, Maine), who left the line to challenge.
Kasbohm recorded three stops while Pratt and junior defender Marina Davidson (Windham, Maine) chipped in defensive saves in a losing effort. Sophomore Emma Astbury (Bridgewater, Vt.) logged 35 shutout minutes in the first half while freshman keeper Hillary Nash (Falmouth, Maine), making her first NCAA appearance, completed the shutout with 35 minutes of scoreless play in the second stanza. Neither SJC netminder was forced to make a save in the victory.
With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 4-15 in the history of the series with Southern Maine. The Monks have now defeated the Huskies in three-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2012 season with all three victories coming by way of the shutout. St. Joe's has outscored USM by a 9-2 margin in the last five meetings combined.
Both programs resume play on Saturday with conference contests, as Saint Joseph's hosts Lasell College at 12:00 PM and Southern Maine travels to Keene State College for a 1:30 PM match-up.
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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.
