STANDISH, ME - The 2012 Saint Joseph's College women's lacrosse schedule has been released. The Monks will play 14 regular season contests this spring, a slate that includes nine Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tilts and five non-conference games.
The season begins on St. Patrick's Day when the team travels to Paxton, Massachusetts to face Anna Maria College for the first time in program history. The AMCATS joined the GNAC this year after competing as a member of the Commonwealth Coast Conference for the past three seasons.
St. Joe's returns to action three days later when the Royal Blue faces GNAC foe Lasell College in Newton, Massachusetts. Start times for the away games versus Anna Maria and Lasell have not yet been determined.
The busy schedule resumes on March 22nd when the Monks host in-state rival University of Southern Maine at 4:30 PM in a contest that will be played at Deering Memorial Stadium in Portland. Two days later Saint Joseph's travels north to Bangor for a 1:00 PM tilt versus Husson University.
A very important stretch of three home games against conference opponents lies ahead as St. Joe's hosts Emerson College on March 28th, Simmons College on March 30th, and Emmanuel College on April 3rd - with all three contests slated to begin at 7:30 PM under the lights at Deering Memorial Stadium.
Saint Joseph's does not return home for nearly two weeks as the Royal Blue plays at Regis College in a non-conference game on April 5th and remains on the road with GNAC contests versus Saint Joseph (CT) on April 6th and Rivier College on April 10th. St. Joe's closes out the four-game road stretch with a non-league tilt at Thomas College on April 12th.
The Monks go on to host a pair of conference opponents, as the Royal Blue faces three-time GNAC Champion Norwich University on April 14th at 1:00 PM and Mount Ida College on April 17th at 4:00 PM. Both of these contests are tentatively scheduled to be played at Westerlea Way Field on the SJC campus, weather permitting.
The final regular season contest will be played at University of Maine-Farmington on April 19th.
The GNAC Tournament begins with a quarterfinal round on April 24th and is followed by a semifinal round on April 26th and the championship game on April 28th. All tourney tilts are hosted by the higher of the two participating programs.
Saint Joseph's went 5-7 overall, including a 2-6 mark in conference play, and missed the GNAC Tournament for the first time in four years as a member of the conference last spring. Head Coach Anna Gordon, now in her third season at the helm, will look to a solid corps of returners and an impressive freshman class to propel the Monks back into the thick of the GNAC tourney this spring.
