STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (7-7, 5-1 GNAC) tipped Emmanuel College (6-6, 2-4 GNAC), 9-4, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's lacrosse action at Westerlea Way Field on Wednesday afternoon. SJC goalkeeper Christopher Driscoll (Saco, Maine) recorded 12 saves in the key conference victory.
St. Joe's gained an early lead with goals from Andrew Hamill (Wolfeboro, N.H.) and Andrew Sullivan (Rochester, N.H.) in the opening four minutes of play, but Emmanuel, a first-year varsity program, posted a three-goal surge, capped by a Eddie Thy (Portland, Maine/Deering) goal with 14:11 left in the second quarter, to gain a 3-2 edge. Hamill followed with a man-up marker and Nathan Hopkins (Scarborough, Maine) scored with 5:22 before the break to provide the hosts with a 4-3 edge heading into intermission. After some halftime adjustments, the Monks clamped down defensively, allowing just one goal over the final 30 minutes of play.
Saints freshman Jack Ruggiero (Manhasset, N.Y.) opened the third-quarter scoring with a goal off a Jake Jaskolski (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) 5:05 into the third stanza, knotting the contest at four-apiece. From this point forward the Royal Blue rattled off five straight goals, beginning with a score from Paul Dolewa (Saco, Maine) at the 7:27 mark of the third period, to clinch the 9-4 victory.
For the Monks, Hamill netted three goals, Dolewa and Sullivan contributed two goals and two assists apiece, and freshman Max Meserve (Kennebunk, Maine) chipped in with a goal and three assists.
Dolewa's man-down tally 1:52 into the fourth quarter was the 100th goal of the senior's impressive career. He joins teammate Jonathan Horgan (Hingham, Mass.), who reached the milestone on April eighth versus Emerson College, as one of two player in SJC program history to reach the plateau.
For the Saints, Jaskolski tallied a goal and a pair of assists, Ted Dimando (Allston, Mass.) notched a goal and an assist, and Jake Pickett (Stratham, N.H.) corralled a game-high nine ground balls and won 11 of 15 face-off attempts in a losing effort. Emmanuel keeper Austin Lauzier (Bedford, N.H.) made 10 saves on the afternoon.
Saint Joseph's resumes GNAC play with a contest at Norwich University at 1:00 PM on Saturday. Emmanuel hosts GNAC-rival Anna Maria College on Saturday at 12:00 PM.
Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.