NEWTON, MA – Lasell College (12-3-1, 7-1-1 GNAC) knocked off Saint Joseph's College (10-7-1, 6-3-0 GNAC), 3-0, in GNAC men's soccer action on Saturday afternoon.
With the result, Lasell claims the top seed in the upcoming GNAC Tournament and will host #8 Rivier University in a tourney quarterfinal on Sunday, November 3rd. Saint Joseph's claims the #2 seed and is set to host #7 Albertus Magnus College, the reigning GNAC Champion, in the quarterfinal round on Sunday, start time TBA.
Mike Skelton (Conway, N.H.) scored a pair of goals and added an assist, pushing his season total to 14 goals leaving him one goal short of tying the Lasell single season record for goals scored which he set during the 2011 campaign. Skelton currently sits on 47 career goals, two shy of tying Zach Gagne '08 who currently is the all-time leader at 49. Servi Barrientos (Providence, R.I.) added his third goal of the season for the Lasers.
The opening half was scoreless as both sides went through the feeling out process. Saint Joseph's senior Zach Johnson (Westbrook, Maine) had an opportunity to put the visitors on the board in the 13th minute but his effort went wide and Lasell nearly took the lead in 33rd minute of play when a Brennan Adams (Southbury, Conn.) strike rung the crossbar. The Lasers held a 5-2 advantage in shots in the opening half and a 3-1 edge in corners won.
Mike Skelton broke the tie in the 62nd minute when he curled a free kick into the upper 90 to put Lasell in front 1-0. Skelton added another goal in the 77th minute when a failed clearance by Saint Joseph's fell to Jared Lewis (Haverhill, Mass.) just outside the top of the 6-yard box and the senior midfielder touched the ball to Skelton who slotted home to give the Lasers a 2-0 lead.
Barrientos gave the Lasers an insurance goal in the 83rd minute when he took a feed from Skelton and finished it for the final 3-0 margin.
Miguel Colmenares (Caracas, Venezuela) collected the win in net for Lasell, recording a pair of second half saves and posting his sixth shutout and fourth in the last four contests, while Scott Benner (Post Falls, Idaho) made three saves in the loss for Saint Joseph's.
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 2-8 in the history of the series with Lasell College. The Monks defeated the Lasers by a 2-1 tally at home last fall.
COURTESY OF LASELL COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
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 430-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.