PORTLAND, ME – University of Southern Maine (1-2) bested Saint Joseph's College (1-5), 13-6, in a non-conference women's lacrosse contest at Fitzpatrick Stadium on Thursday afternoon. Senior Cassie Diplock (Augusta, Maine) scored a pair of goals in the losing effort.
Southern Maine netted seven of the game's first eight goals, as a Laura Fay (Falmouth, Maine) marker put the Huskies on top by a 7-1 score with 2:57 remaining in the first half. Senior defender Rachelle Messuri (Atkinson, N.H.) looked to spark the Monks with an unassisted goal just over a minute later, going coast to coast after forcing a turnover deep in the SJC zone.
The momentum gained by Messuri's incredible effort was quickly stifled however, as senior midfielder Jacki Kelly (Brunswick, Maine) scored a pair of goals in the final 1:45 of the opening frame, including a buzzer-beater man-down goal to provide the Huskies with a 9-2 advantage going into intermission.
Early returns in the second stanza did not favor the Monks, as Southern Maine senior Shelby Turcotte (Lewiston, Maine) scored twice and freshman Raquel Heitor (Danbury, Conn.) potted an unassisted tally with 14:13 remaining to lift the Huskies to a game-high nine-goal (12-3) lead.
The SJC offense followed with a cluster of free-position goals, with two scores from Diplock and another by freshman Jackie Wilson (Tiverton, R.I.) to cut the USM lead down to 12-6, but the effort proved to be too little, too late, as the Huskies managed to keep the Monks off the board while scoring one goal – an Anh Nguyen (South Portland, Maine) marker at the 5:09 mark – in the closing 10 minutes.
For the Monks, sophomore Kat Gadbois (Scarborough, Maine) scored a goal with six ground balls, senior Anneka Adame (San Diego, Calif.) added a goal with three goals and a pair of draw controls, sophomore Emma Lafrance (Westport, Mass.) contributed eight ground balls and five caused turnovers and Messuri chipped in six ground balls and four caused turnovers in a losing bid.
Nine different players scored for the Huskies, as Turcotte and Nguyen put up two goals and an assist apiece, Kelly and Rosie Forster (Andover, Mass.) both netted a pair of markers and Nicole LaPlante (South Portland, Maine) tallied a goal and two assists in the triumph. Fay, Heitor, Jenna Cyr (Limerick, Maine) and Lauren Lessard (Lewiston, Maine) also found the back of the net in the Huskies' first win of the 2014 campaign.
Senior goalkeepers Haley Nason (Saco, Maine) and Elizabeth Giacchino (Melrose, Mass.) split time in the setback, with the former making four saves in the first half and the latter recording six stops in the second stanza.
Southern Maine senior keeper Kim Vogel (Sanford, Maine) was outstanding in goal, posting 13 saves in helping the Huskies find the win column.
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 0-7 in the history of the series with University of Southern Maine.
Both teams return to action on Saturday when Saint Joseph's hosts conference-rival Norwich University in a 1:30 PM start at Fitzpatrick Stadium and Southern Maine travels to Castleton State College for a 3:00 PM non-conference contest.
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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.
