STANDISH, Maine – The 2017 Saint Joseph's College field hockey season begins Friday with a non-conference contest at Wellesley College (4:30 PM).

With the road game, the Monks begin their quest to repeat as Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Champions, a task that figures to be challenging for a young team featuring 13 freshmen and sophomores.

STARTS AT THE TOP:

Head Coach Rupert Lewis, the 2016 GNAC Coach of the Year, returns for his 13th season on the Monks' sideline. By far the winningest (127-74) and most successful (.632 winning percentage) skipper in program history, Lewis has built a program that routinely competes for a conference title with an overreaching philosophy based on strong defensive play and a balanced offensive attack.

WHERE WE LEFT OFF:

The Monks enjoyed the most prolific season in team history last fall, as the 2016 squad earned the program's first-ever conference title and proceeded to advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 after upsetting #10 Montclair State, 1-0, in an opening round contest on November 9th. The Monks' tourney run came to a close three days later at the hands of #11 Skidmore College, as the Thoroughbreds netted a pair of second-half goals in a 2-0 triumph.

DEARLY DEPARTED:

Saint Joseph's lost just one starter from last year's team, as three-time All-Conference honoree Kelsey Dumond departed via graduation last spring. Dumond was a major contributor having scored 37 goals with 20 assists for 94 total points during her collegiate career.

KEY RETURNERS:

Among the Monks' returning players are five 2016 First Team All-GNAC honorees: junior goalkeeper Megan Baker (Gorham, Maine) sophomore forward Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine), sophomore midfielder Maddy Beaulieu (Gardiner, Maine), senior midfielder Elyse Caiazzo (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus), junior defender Arianna Kahler (Lisbon, Maine), and senior defender Hayley Winslow (Falmouth, Maine).

Baker, the 2016 GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year, posted a 0.97 goals against average with a .778 save percentage and eight shutouts over 1240 minutes during her sophomore campaign while Pomerleau earned 2016 GNAC Rookie of the Year accolades after netting 16 goals with 10 assists for 42 total points as a freshman.

Caiazzo, Beaulieu, and junior twins Kayla and Kara Kelly (York, Maine) bring speed and skill to a talented midfield corps while Winslow and Kahler team with unheralded defenders Meghan Burke (Falmouth, Mass.) and Kayla Veilleux (Sabattus, Maine) to comprise perhaps the most formidable backline in the conference.

 NEWCOMERS TO WATCH:

Coach Lewis's recruiting efforts yielded a promising freshman class, including several who are expected to contribute immediately. Midfielder Alexandra Belaire (Greene, Maine) has stood out during her first collegiate preseason and figures to play a prominent role as an athletic and skilled ball handler in transition.  Erika Hannigan (Lewiston, Maine), an All-State player from Oak Hill High School, and Alexis Charles (Fryeburg, Maine), a well-rounded player from Fryeburg Academy, also look poised to earn major minutes during their first collegiate campaign.

GAMES TO SEE:

Sep. 17 at Kean University: The Monks return to New Jersey to face a strong Cougars team that went 18-4 last fall and defeated St. Joe's by a 4-0 margin in Portland on September 24th. All four of Kean's setbacks came at the hands of nationally ranked teams.

Sep. 30 vs. Johnson & Wales University: Saint Joseph's looks to avenge the team's only blemish in conference play last year, a 2-1 loss to the Wildcats in Providence on September 17th. The Monks, 16-2 in three years in the GNAC, outshot JWU by a 10-6 margin and held a 9-2 advantage in penalty corners in the setback.

Oct. 14 at Simmons College: A rematch of the 2016 GNAC Championship and game featuring the only two teams to have represented the GNAC in the NCAA Tournament. The Sharks edged the Monks by the same 1-0 score in the 2015 conference title bout and topped Anna Maria College, 3-1, in the 2014 championship.

CLOSER LOOK AT THE 2017 SCHEDULE/OPPONENTS:

#GOMONKS 

Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram!

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.