STANDISH, Maine – Top-seeded Saint Joseph's College (11-6, 5-1 GNAC) is set to host #4 Lasell College (12-6, 2-4 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Field Hockey Tournament Semifinal game at 7:00 PM tonight at Deering Memorial Stadium in Portland.

BRACKETOLOGY:

Saturday, October 29 - First Round

Game 1: #5 Mount Ida 1, #4 Lasell 2

Game 2: #6 Anna Maria 0, #3 Johnson & Wales 1

Wednesday, November 2 - Semifinals

Game 3: Game 1 winner at #1 Saint Joseph's of Maine – 7:00 PM

Game 4: Game 2 winner at #2 Simmons - 7:00 PM

Saturday, November 5 - Final

Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner

FACTS & FIGURES:

Saint Joseph's:

• St. Joe's ranks as the conference leader in goals against average (0.99) and is third in shots (261) and shots per game (15.4), fourth in goals (41), shots on goal (170), and shots on goal percentage (65%)
• The Monks have outscored conference opponents by an 18-4 margin this fall with three shutouts in six GNAC contests
• Saint Joseph's won eight-consecutive games and defeated opponents by an aggregate 33-1 score during the month of October
• The Monks' winning streak ended with a 1-0 overtime loss at the hands of Plymouth State University on October 26th

Lasell:

• Lasell leads the conference in shots (298), assists (34), save percentage (.805) and penalty corners (178) and are second in goals (50) and goals per game (2.8)
• The Lasers enter tonight's contest having won six of their last seven games with their only blemish during the spell being a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Johnson & Wales on October 15th

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Saint Joseph's:

• Freshman forward Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine) leads the Monks in goals (13), assists (9), points (35) and game-winning goals (5) and has been selected as the GNAC Rookie of the Week three times this fall
• Senior forward Kelsey Dumond (Lewiston, Maine) is second on the squad in goals (9), assists (7), and points (25)
• Sophomore Kara Kelly (York, Maine) has enjoyed a breakout season with five goals and three assists
• Junior midfielder Elyse Caiazzo (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) has contributed four goals and four assists for 12 total points with a pair of game clinchers

Lasell:

• Freshman forward Samantha Taylor (Hanover Mass) is tied for third in the conference in goals (13) and tied in 5th in total points (29)  
• Sophomore forward Cailin Flannery (Medford N.J.) is tied for third within the conference in total points (35) with 12 goals and 11 assists this fall
• Sophomore midfielder Julia Franzik (Wallingford Conn.) has six goals with four assists for 16 total points

KEEPER COMPARISON:

Saint Joseph's: Sophomore Megan Baker (Gorham, Maine) is 10-6 with six shutouts and sports a 1.04 goals against average with a .754 save percentage in 1014 minutes between the pipes. She leads the conference in goals against average, fewest goals allowed (15), and shutouts and was named as the GNAC Goalkeeper of the Week on October 10th.

Lasell: Junior Denise Landry (New Milford Conn) is having a great season and currently sits second in the conference in save percentage (.789) and shutouts (3)  The junior netminder also leads the league with 12 victories.

ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:

Saint Joseph's Head Coach Rupert Lewis, in his 12th season on the SJC sideline, is 138-80 (.633) overall with a 55-10 (.846) record in conference play during his collegiate career. He is far and away the program's most successful skipper and has garnered a pair of Coach of the Year honors for his efforts.

Caitlin Connolly, now in her seventh season as the head coach of the Lasell field hockey team, has led the Lasers to five consecutive quarterfinal games and was selected as the 2015 GNAC Coach of the Year.  On top of her impressive field hockey success, she is also the head coach of Lasell women's lacrosse team and guided the Lasers to a GNAC Championship last spring.

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

Saint Joseph's edged Lasell, 2-1 in overtime, at Mercy Field on September 23rd. Pomerleau netted both of the Monks' goals, including the game-winner 4:24 into extra play, and St. Joe's held sizeable leads in shots (20-3), shots on goal (15-2), and penalty corners (13-4) in the victory.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is 15-3 in the history of the series with Lasell College, a team the Monks have outscored by an aggregate 46-14 margin in the 18 meetings.

POSTSEASON HISTORY:

The Monks have never missed the postseason in nine years as a member of a conference and this year's regular season crown counts as the team's fourth since 2008. Saint Joseph's has advanced to the conference championship game five times in the last eight years but has fallen short each time with four being decided by one goal and two either coming in overtime or penalty strokes

For the Lasers, the 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Mount Ida counted as the program's first postseason triumph since Lasell defeated Castleton State in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Tournament first round matchup in 2006.

The Monks and Lasers met once before in the postseason, as St. Joe's topped Lasell by a 4-1 score in a NAC quarterfinal on November 2nd, 2013. 

#GOMONKS

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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 474-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.