PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Saint Joseph's College (11-1, 8-0 GNAC) handed Johnson & Wales University (10-1, 5-1 GNAC) its first loss of the season with an 11-8 victory over the Wildcats in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's lacrosse action on Saturday afternoon. Freshman attack Elyse Caiazzo (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) scored six goals to help the Monks extend their winning streak to a program-best 11 games and remain undefeated in conference play.
Johnson & Wales secured an early lead, as freshman Raquel Pederzani (Coventry, R.I.) scored on a free-position shot just 1:16 into the game, but Saint Joseph's countered with seven-consecutive goals – including four from Caiazzo – to close out the first half with a 7-1 lead.
The Monks netted three of the first four goals in the second stanza and held a 10-2 advantage after Caiazzo potted her sixth of the day with 17:15 remaining, but the Wildcats managed to rattle off four straight markers over a six-minute span to make it a 10-6 game with 10:04 on the clock.
Junior Kat Gadbois (Scarborough, Maine) interrupted the Wildcats' late-game push with her second tally of the afternoon, an unassisted strike with 7:05 remaining, and the Monks managed to hold JWU to a pair of goals over the closing six minutes.
For the Monks, Gadbois tallied two goals and an assist with five ground balls and senior Lizzie Calnan (Westport, Mass.) recorded a goal and an assist with four ground balls while juniors Elizabeth Elcock (Westwood, Mass.) and Mary Leasure (South Portland, Maine/McAuley) chipped in a goal apiece in the huge conference win. Sophomore midfielder Jackie Wilson (Tiverton, R.I.) posted a game-high eight ground balls with five draw controls and sophomore goalie Meghan Fullarton (Windham, Maine) made four saves to improve to 6-0 on the season.
For the Wildcats, sophomore Lydia Knapp (Glens Falls, N.Y.) netted a pair with two assists and 10 draw controls, sophomore Kayla Smith (Eastham, Mass.) scored twice, and junior Anna Oshiro (Gloucester, Mass.) chipped in with a goal and an assist in the losing effort. Senior keeper Genevieve Giampietro (Meriden, Conn.) recorded seven saves for the hosts.
Saint Joseph's is set to host UMass.-Dartmouth tomorrow in a 10:00 AM start at Deering Memorial Stadium while Johnson & Wales faces off against GNAC-rival Lasell College in Newton, Mass. on Monday at 3:45 PM.
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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 474-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.
