WELLESLEY, Mass. – Junior Alexandra Belaire (Greene, Maine) netted a pair of goals to help lift Saint Joseph's College (2-0) past Wellesley College (1-1), 2-1, in non-conference field hockey action on Sunday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Belaire put the Monks on the board when she scored off a penalty corner at the 21:27 mark, when she belted a shot from the top of the circle that deflected off a defender's stick past Wellesley keeper Janelle Sullivan.

The junior defender doubled the SJC cushion with another penalty corner strike in the 37th minute, this time steering a shot to Sullivan's right for a 2-0 advantage.

Wellesley cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 44th minute, when Caitlin Campbell corralled a rebound off a Julia Rappaport attempt and beat SJC junior keeper Alexandria Simpson (Pascoag, R.I.) with a quick shot to the back of the net.

The hosts had opportunities to tie the game in the fourth quarter, as Maddie Bettencourt rattled a shot off the post at the 45:37 mark and Simpson turned away a Maggie King shot with 5:09 remaining in regulation.

TEAM STATS:

Saint Joseph's held slim advantages in shots (11-9) and penalty corners (9-8) while Wellesley posted a 6-5 lead in shots on goal on the afternoon.

THE KEEPERS:

Simpson turned away four shots to improve to 2-0 on the season while Sullivan made three saves in the losing effort for Wellesley.

Belaire added a defensive save – on a Rappaport shot at the 17:58 mark - in the Monks' one-goal victory.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the victory Saint Joseph's improves to 2-3 all-time versus Wellesley College. The Monks defeated the Blue by a 7-0 score at the SJC Athletics Complex last season.

NEXT!

The Monks continue their road swing with a game at Husson University on Thursday at 7:00 PM.