PORTLAND, ME – Sophomore attacker Cassie Diplock (Augusta, Maine) netted a career-high eight goals, including the game-tying score with 12 seconds remaining in regulation and all three of the Monks' overtime markers, to push Saint Joseph's (4-3, 3-2 GNAC) past Emmanuel College (3-6, 2-4 GNAC), 12-11 in double-overtime, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's lacrosse contest at Deering Memorial Stadium on Tuesday night.
Senior midfielder Amelia Santos (Beverly, Mass.) put the Monks on top early as the team tri-captain scored on a free-position attempt just eight seconds into play to lift the hosts to a 1-0 advantage. Emmanuel went on to erase the SJC lead and then some, netting four straight goals, including a pair of Madeline Leahy (Cohasset, Mass.) markers and man-down scores from Logan Carr (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) and Alexia Basile (West Hartford, Conn.), over a four-minute span to secure a 4-1 cushion with 19 minutes left in the first half.
Diplock and Leahy proceeded to swap scores as the Saints held a 5-2 lead at the 11:32 mark of the opening stanza, but the Monks received goals from Erica Waterhouse (South Portland, Maine), Santos and a pair from Diplock and carried a 6-5 edge into intermission.
The second half was hotly contested as the conference counterparts traded leads three times and the score was tied on four occasions. Carr and Basile scored unassisted goals in the first four minutes to give the Saints a 7-6 advantage, a lead that lasted until Santos netted her third score of the night at the 14:36 mark.
The teams took turns scoring for the rest of regulation play, as Basile netted her third goal of the evening with 12:17 remaining, Diplock followed with her fourth 20 seconds later, and Carr found the back of the cage to lift her club to a 9-8 edge with 10:59 left.
St. Joe's had several opportunities to knot the game, perhaps none better than a shot by Krystal Walsh (Springvale, Maine) that clanged off the post, but would not hit pay dirt until Diplock beat Emmanuel keeper Hillary Dandurant (Merrimac, Mass.) on a free-position attempt with 12 seconds left to send the contest to extra play.
Diplock opened the scoring in the first of two three-minute overtime periods with a free-position goal 38 seconds into the opening OT frame. The Saints would answer just over two minutes later when Marykate McNulty (Madison, Conn.) netted her first goal of the contest, forcing yet another extra frame.
The Saints appeared to have momentum on their side when Madison Altwies (Southington, Conn.) put a shot past SJC keeper Haley Nason (Saco, Maine) to give her team an 11-10 lead with 1:57 to play in the second OT period. But Diplock refused to allow her career night be for naught as the second-year standout tied the game just 20 seconds later and produced the game-winner on a free-position attempt with 14 seconds remaining.
In goal, Elizabeth Giacchino (Melrose, Mass.) started and made three saves in 31:50 of play but was lifted in favor of Nason, who notched the win after making six saves in 34:10 between the pipes. Dandurant recorded nine saves for the Saints in a losing effort.
For the Monks, Diplock added six ground balls and a pair of draw controls to her impressive scoring line, Santos tallied three goals and five ground balls, Waterhouse added a goal and an assist, Macy Pagurko (Augusta, Maine) chipped in with a team-high eight ground balls, and Rachelle Messuri (Atkinson, N.H.) corralled six ground balls. Anneka Adame (San Diego, Calif.) contributed five ground balls and three draw controls in the victory.
For the Saints, Carr, Leahy and Basile netted three goals apiece and Michaela Brennan (Worcester, Mass.) added a game-high 11 ground balls in a losing effort.
With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 2-0 in the history of the series with Emmanuel College. The Monks defeated the Saints by a 17-11 margin last spring.
Saint Joseph's will travel to Regis College on Thursday for a non-conference tilt slated to start at 4:00 PM. Emmanuel will play at Wheelock College in a non-league contest at 7:30 PM on Thursday.