STANDISH, ME – Teddy Palmer '14 (Scarborough, ME) scored off a Jack LaFreniere '13 (Alton, NH) crossing pass in the 61st minute to propel Saint Joseph's (6-5-2, 3-1-1 GNAC) past Johnson & Wales (2-8-1, 1-4 GNAC) in GNAC Men's Soccer action at Westerlea Way on Saturday afternoon.
After a sloppy first half, the Monks tightened the screws in the second stanza and controlled play for much of the latter period. St. Joe's, which held a commanding 18-4 advantage in shots in the second half, finally capitalized on a scoring opportunity when LaFreniere threaded the needle with a right-to-left cross in the box that found an open Palmer, who blasted the ball into the top left corner for the eventual winner and first tally of his career.
Saint Joseph's had several opportunities to extend the lead, but Wildcats netminder Joe Ferraro '11 (Freehold, NJ) was up to the task and kept the visitors within striking distance. Ferraro finished the match with eight saves, while SJC keeper Nick Campasano '12 (Goffstown, NH) made five stops in his fourth shutout bid of the year.
The Monks held a 22-8 advantage in shots and a 5-2 lead in corner kicks in the conference conquest. Saint Joseph's improves to 6-2 against Johnson & Wales in the history of the series.
St. Joe's will play at Mount Ida College on Monday in a GNAC match slated to begin at 1:00 PM, while JWU is set to face GNAC rival Lasell College on the road on Monday at 4:00 PM.