STANDISH, Maine – Freshman Bailey Cutler (Lisbon Falls, Maine) scored with 2:43 remaining in the first overtime period to lift Saint Joseph's College (13-2, 6-0 GNAC) past Simmons College (11-5, 5-1 GNAC), 2-1, in a thrilling Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) field hockey match at Mercy Field on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's clinches the top seed, and a first-round bye, in the upcoming GNAC Tournament, which begins with a quarterfinal round next Saturday. The Monks will host a semifinal match versus the winner of the #4 Anna Maria / #5 Lasell quarterfinal at Mercy Field on Wednesday, November 5th. The Sharks also earn a first-round bye in the six team conference tourney and, as the #2 seed, will host the winner of the other quarterfinal, featuring #3 Johnson & Wales and #6 Rivier, in the semifinals.
The battle of unbeaten GNAC programs certainly lived up to its billing, as the teams headed into intermission scoreless following an evenly played first half. The Sharks managed to get on the board first, as a defensive lapse led to a goal from sophomore Mary Neidhardt (Middlefield, Conn.), who finished a scrum in the goalmouth with a shot to the right corner with 16:16 remaining in regulation. Junior Amy Cronin (Georgetown, Mass.) was credited with an assist on the play.
Saint Joseph's proceeded to knot the match just 28 seconds later when sophomore Kelsey Dumond (Lewiston, Maine) slammed a penalty stroke attempt past Simmons keeper Brianna Rastello (Salem, N.H.) into the top left corner of the cage.
Both teams had an opportunity to take the lead during regulation, as Simmons freshman Julie Saltamartini (East Hampstead, N.H.) was turned away by Monks sophomore keeper Emma Astbury (Bridgewater, Vt.) at the 62:10 mark and a good chance by SJC senior Effie Drew (Portland, Maine) trickled wide with 1:07 on the clock.
The Monks held the momentum during extra play, which features a 7v7 format, as the Royal Blue owned a 5-0 shots advantage during 12:17 overtime minutes. Rastello made three saves in the extra frame, including a pair in rapid succession on a nice effort by Drew, but did not have a chance to stop Cutler's shot, which was set up by a perfect right to left cross and delivered to an open right side of the cage for the winner.
Overall Saint Joseph's held a 19-4 lead in shots – including a 13-2 advantage in the second stanza – and an 8-1 cushion in penalty corners in the victory. Astbury made one save in the SJC victory while Rastello tallied seven stops in a losing bid for the Sharks.
The box score fails to give credence to the play of senior defender Emily Jordan (Whitefield, Maine), who singlehandedly thwarted several Simmons scoring threats with effective back-checking and played an important role in today's triumph.
Prior to the start of the match, the Monks held a brief ceremony to honor the program's four seniors: Drew, Jordan, Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) and Kaylee Heath (Pittston, Maine), a quartet that has helped Saint Joseph's post a 50-20 (.714) record over the last four seasons.
Saint Joseph's returns to action on Tuesday with a non-conference bout at Plymouth State College beginning at 3:00 PM. Simmons is off until the semifinal round of the GNAC Tournament.
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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.
