WEST HARTFORD, CT – Saint Joseph's (5-3, 4-2 GNAC) handled Saint Joseph College (Conn.) (2-7, 1-5 GNAC), 16-4, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's lacrosse contest on Friday afternoon.
The Monks opened the conference tilt with five unanswered goals, including three straight off the stick of senior midfielder Amelia Santos (Beverly, Mass.), and headed into halftime owning an 8-1 cushion. The Blue Jays outscored the Royal Blue by a 3-2 margin over the first 15 minutes of the second stanza, cutting their deficit to 10-4, but St. Joe's responded with six straight markers to close out the action and account for the 16-4 final.
Sophomores Elizabeth Giacchino (Melrose, Mass.) and Haley Nason (Saco, Maine) split the contest in net for Saint Joseph's and combined to make 14 saves versus Saint Joseph (Conn.). Blue Jays keeper Brianna Tenore tallied six saves in a losing bid.
Santos paced the Monks' offensive effort with five goals and an assist while sophomore midfielder Anneka Adame (San Diego, Calif.) netted three scored and corralled a game-high six draw controls on the afternoon. Freshman midfielder Kirstin McCombs (Lewiston, Maine) added two goals and a team-high six ground balls, senior midi Megan Cutter (Westbrook, Maine) contributed two goals and an assist, and sophomore attacker Macy Pagurko (Augusta, Maine) chipped in with two goals in the victory.
Dayna Gambino (Newington, Conn.) and Erika Leitao (Newington, Conn.) scored two goals each for the Blue Jays.
With the victory St. Joe's improves to 5-0 in the history of the series with Saint Joseph (Conn.). The Monks have outscored the Blue Jays by a 77-21 margin during the five-game set.
The Monks will play at Rivier College on Tuesday in a conference contest slated to begin at 7:00 PM. The Blue Jays resume play on the road on Wednesday, facing non-conference foe Elms College in a 7:00 PM start.
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.
