WATERVILLE, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (2-4) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 9-5 victory over Thomas College (0-2) in non-conference men's lacrosse action on Saturday.
THE LEAD
After a slow start on the offensive end by both teams, Saint Joseph's broke a 1-1 stalemate with four unanswered goals – including a pair of man-up markers – en route to owning a 7-3 cushion heading into intermission. The Monks, who went 4-7 on man-up chances in the win, extended their lead to 9-3 with third-quarter strikes from junior Mark LaPierre (Wayland, Mass.) and sophomore Matt Donnell (Watertown, Mass.) and played stellar defense down the stretch to secure the 9-5 triumph.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S
- Donnell scored three goals with four ground balls
- Senior Jake O'Brien (Andover, Mass.) tallied two goals, two assists, and two ground balls
- LaPierre scored twice with an assist
- Freshman Michael Finn (Quincy, Mass.) was credited with three assists
- Sophomore Austin Havu (Buxton, Maine) picked up seven ground balls and posted 12 victories in 17 face-off attempts
- Freshman Tyler Retalic (Framingham, Mass.) scored and added four ground balls
- Sophomore goalie Connor Trainor (Franklin, Mass.) made eight saves in the victory
LEADERS – THOMAS
- Sophomore Colby Blondin (Colchester, Vt.) scored a goal and recorded three assists with eight ground balls
- Senior Zac Crimmin (Westbrook, Maine / Westbrook) added two goals in the loss
- Sophomore goalie Connor Lamberton (Shohola, Pa.) stopped 15 shots in a losing effort
TEAM STATS
Saint Joseph's held advantages in shots (52-24), face-off wins (13-5), ground balls (35-23), and turnovers (22-25) while successfully clearing on 14 of 23 attempts and scoring on four of seven man-up opportunities. Thomas was 16-25 on clear bids and went 0-10 on man-up bids.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 5-2 all-time versus Thomas College and has now defeated the Terriers in five consecutive meetings dating back to the 2010 season. Today's combined score of 14 goals is the lowest total in the seven-game history of the series.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's resumes play Wednesday with a non-conference contest at Husson University (4:00 PM) while Thomas kicks off North Atlantic Conference play next Saturday with a trip to Castleton University (12:00 PM).
#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.
