STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (15-2, 9-0 GNAC) defeated Norwich University (6-9, 3-6 GNAC), 16-4, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's lacrosse contest at Westerlea Way Field on Saturday afternoon.
THE LEAD
The Monks, playing on campus for the first time this spring, controlled play from the start and held a 4-0 advantage after the opening six minutes. Saint Joseph's grabbed a 5-0 lead on a Kara Kelly (York, Maine) tally at the 15:13 mark, a play that prompted Norwich Head Coach Beth Van Parys to call a timeout. The team huddle seemed to light a spark, as the Cadets scored twice in a matter of 67 seconds to cut their deficit to 5-2, but the Monks closed out the first half with seven unanswered goals on the way to the 16-4 triumph.
SENIOR MOMENT
Prior to the start of the contest, the SJC women's lacrosse program held a brief ceremony to honor the team's six seniors - Michelle Cunha (Enfield, Conn.), Elizabeth Elcock (Westwood, Mass.), Kat Gadbois (Scarborough, Maine), Emma LaFrance (Westport, Mass.), Mary Leasure (South Portland, Maine/McAuley), and Meghan Williams (Greenland, N.H./St. Thomas Aquinas) – who were joined at midfield by their parents and various family members. The 2016 graduating class has helped Saint Joseph's post a 55-19 (.734) overall record with a 32-5 (.865) GNAC record and will be missed moving forward.
SJC HIGHLIGHTS
- Junior Kelsey Dumond (Lewiston, Maine) scored five goals with two assists and a pair of ground balls
- Gadbois added two goals and three assists with a pair of draw controls
- Kelly netted three goals with an assist, four ground balls, and two caused turnovers
- Gadbois contributed two goals, three assists, and two draw controls
- Caiazzo scored three goals with two ground balls and three draw controls
- Junior Jackie Wilson (Tiverton, R.I.) tallied two goals with an assist, two ground balls, three draw controls, and two caused turnovers
- Leasure was credited with three assists in the victory
NORWICH HIGHLIGHTS
- Freshman midfielder Kathryn Albretsen (Cotuit, Mass.) netted a pair of goals
- Senior attack Larissa Gokey (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) and junior defender Kasey Jacobs (Killingworth, Conn.) added goals in the loss
- Senior defender Katie Quebec (Nashua, N.H.) picked up three draw controls
THE KEEPERS
- Cunha registered three saves en route to picking up her 13th win of the season
- Norwich freshman Janice Bolton (Stow, Mass.) posted seven stops and picked up five ground balls
TEAM STATS
Saint Joseph's held the lead in shots (36-10), ground balls (28-11), draw controls (14-7), turnovers (13-23), and caused turnovers (14-2) on the afternoon.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 5-6 all-time versus Norwich University and has now defeated the Cadets in four consecutive meetings dating back to the 2014 season.
NEXT!
For the second consecutive season, Saint Joseph's has earned the top seed in the GNAC Tournament, which begins with a quarterfinal round on Tuesday evening. Norwich has also clinched a tournament berth and will travel in the first round. The teams' opponents will be determined by tonight's conference results.
#GOMONKS
Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram!
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.
