NEWTON, MA – Saint Joseph's (2-4-1, 1-2-0 GNAC) snapped a five-game winless streak with a 2-1 overtime victory over conference-rival Mount Ida College (1-3-1, 1-2-0 GNAC) on Saturday afternoon.
Trailing 1-0 midway through the second half, the Monks ended a 228-minute scoring drought with a goal at the 63:16 mark from senior captain Teddy Palmer (Scarborough, Maine) to knot the contest at one-apiece. Palmer's second goal of the season came on a strange play, as his shot clanged off the crossbar in the middle of the goal, but the ball deflected downward and across the goal line.
The stalemate remained until the sixth minute of overtime, when freshman midfielder Ralph Houanche (Portland, Maine) netted his second game-winner of the year on a deflected shot that trickled between the legs of Mount Ida goaltender Matt Pils (Monroe, Conn.) and into the left corner of the net.
For the second consecutive contest, St. Joe's would experience an early deficit after allowing a goal in the first 10 minutes of play. In a loss to Albertus on Thursday it was a fifth-minute score that led to the Monks' demise, but on this day Saint Joseph's was able to overcome a tally toed in at the 9:33 mark by Mount Ida sophomore midfielder Dishawn Miller (Bristol, Conn.). Freshman Carlos Martinez (Chelsea, Mass.) ignited the play with a perfect through pass and Miller finished with a shot to the lower right corner.
SJC freshman netminder Scott Benner (Post Falls, Idaho) would deny three Mount Ida shots while Pils made six stops for the Mustangs in a losing effort.
Mount Ida held a slim 11-10 advantage in shots while St. Joe's recorded an 8-4 lead in corner kicks on the afternoon. The Monks were slapped with 20 fouls while the Mustangs were whistled 13 times in the GNAC contest.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 4-2 in the history of the series with Mount Ida College. The Monks suffered a loss in the only other OT meeting between the GNAC counterparts – a 4-3 setback at Mount Ida on October 11th, 2010.
Both teams resume play with non-conference contests on Wednesday, when Saint Joseph's plays at Maine-Farmington (4:30 PM) and Mount Ida hosts Regis College (7:00 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.