STANDISH, ME - The 2013 Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse schedule has been released. The Monks will play 15 contests this spring with a slate that includes nine Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) games and six non-league tilts.
This year's roster features many new faces, perhaps none more important than first-year Head Coach Amanda Cahoon, who was hired last August to fill the spot vacated by Anna Gordon, the Monks' clipboard carrier for the last three seasons who left the post over the summer to pursue other opportunities. Coach Cahoon brings a bevy of lacrosse expertise to the table and has lofty goals for the sixth-year program.
The Monks figure to boost their postseason chances with the help of a strong non-conference schedule. Saint Joseph's is slated to face Thomas College, Husson University, Goucher College, University of Southern Maine, Maine-Farmington and Regis College in non-league play this season.
The 15-game docket features seven home games (either at Deering Memorial Stadium in Portland or Westerlea Way Field on campus) and eight on the road. Saint Joseph's hosts Thomas, Husson and Rivier University at Deering before taking on Regis, Lasell College, Anna Maria College and University of Saint Joseph at Westerlea Way Field, weather pending.
The Monks' 15 opponents combined to post a 98-121 (.447) record last spring and Saint Joseph's owns an all-time record of 27-27 (.500) versus the group, collectively.
Saint Joseph's kicks off the 2013 campaign on Wednesday, February 27th with a home contest versus Thomas at Deering Memorial Stadium in a 7:00 PM start. The start to the season will be the earliest in the six-year history of the program, as the Monks have never before played during the month of February. Previously, the earliest beginning to a season occurred last spring when the Royal Blue traveled to Husson on March 15th.
Speaking of Husson, the Monks go on to host the Eagles in a 5:00 PM contest on Monday, March 4th before embarking on the program's first-ever spring trip to the Washington, D.C. area where the team will play a new opponent - Goucher College - on Sunday, March 10th.
The Monks return to Maine in time to take on Southern Maine in a 4:00 PM start on Thursday, March 14th. Saint Joseph's begins conference play with a game at Emerson College two days later.
St. Joe's remains on the road with a GNAC contest at Mount Ida College on March 20th and a non-conference tilt at Maine-Farmington on March 25th. The Monks finally return home to face Rivier in a conference game at Deering two days later.
The team travels to Simmons College for an 11:00 AM GNAC game on Saturday, March 30th and looks to host the first on-campus contest on Thursday, April 4th when Regis treks to Maine for a 4:00 PM face-off. The Monks close out the regular-season string with five-consecutive conference games, beginning with a home contest versus Lasell on April 6th.
Saint Joseph's then plays at Emmanuel College on April 10th and hosts Anna Maria on April 13th. The Monks host Saint Joseph (Conn.) four days later and cap the 2013 campaign with a road game versus reigning GNAC Champion Norwich University on April 20th.
The GNAC Tournament begins with a quarterfinal round on Wednesday, April 24th and continues with the semifinals to be played on Friday, April 26th. The conference championship takes place on Sunday, April 28th and the GNAC Champion advances to the NCAA Tournament, which begins in early May.
Saint Joseph's went 8-6 overall and 5-4 in GNAC play en route to claiming the #5 seed in the GNAC Tournament last spring. The Monks' season came to an end on April 24th when the Royal Blue suffered a 15-5 loss at the hands of fourth-seeded Simmons College in the first round of the tourney.
2013 SCHEDULE SYNOPSIS:
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.
