STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (1-0) kicked off the 2024 season with a 19-8 victory over Maine Maritime Academy (0-1) in non-conference women's lacrosse action at the SJC Athletics Complex on Sunday afternoon.
MILESTONE MET:
With an unassisted strike with 1:32 left in the first quarter, senior Bridget Collins (Milford, Conn.) reached the 100-goal plateau for her career. She is the ninth player in program history to hit the milestone.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Sophomore midfielder Celia Melanson (Waterford, Maine) opened the season-scoring with a goal off a Collins pass at the 12:44 mark and played a hand in four of the Monks' first five goals overall with two goals and a pair of assists in the opening 10 minutes.
St. Joe's held a 5-1 advantage after Collins hit pay dirt off a Melanson feed with 5:54 left in the opening frame, but the Mariners countered with goals from Aubrey Mitchell (Spofford, N.H.) and Bella Scolaro (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) in a matter of two minutes to cut their deficit to 5-3.
The Monks proceeded to put the game to bed with 10 straight goals spanning the following 15 minutes of game play. Senior Megan Mourmouras (Biddeford, Maine) netted four tallies and senior Carson Battaglia (Gorham, Maine) added three goals during the surge, which helped the hosts take a 15-4 lead into intermission.
After the teams combined to score 19 goals in the first half, the pace of play slowed considerably in the second stanza as the Monks and Mariners found the back of the net only eight times in the closing 30 minutes. Sophomore Sophia Burton (Westtown, N.Y.) scored twice in the third quarter and Battaglia and sophomore Lydia Hill (Windham, Maine) struck in the fourth frame to close out the SJC scoring ledger.
MMA junior Hazel Stoddard (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) and sophomore Rebecca Caron (Naples, Maine) both scored twice in the final 16 minutes to account for the 19-8 final.
TEAM STATS:
Saint Joseph's held the lead in shots (35-12), shots on goal (32-11), ground balls (22-14), draw controls (16-14), and caused turnovers (16-7) in the victory.
THE KEEPERS:
The Monks deployed three netminders in the triumph, as sophomore Alexis Eldridge (Effingham, N.H.) earned the win after allowing three goals with one save in the first 15 minutes, junior Morgan Wright (Chelmsford, Mass.) gave up one goal during the second quarter, and freshman Julia Price (Newbury, Mass.) yielded four goals and made a pair of stops in the final 30 minutes.
The Mariners split time in the cage as sophomore starter Kelsey Melton (Great Falls, Va.) made six saves in the first half and sophomore Ella Bowes (Valley Lee, Md.) turned away seven shots in the second stanza.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Melanson scored three goals with four assists and a pair of ground balls
- Battaglia netted four goals with three ground balls, seven draw controls, and two caused turnovers
- Mourmouras added four tallies with two caused turnovers
- Burton posted three goals and an assist with two ground balls
- Collins capped the opener with two goals and a pair of assists
- Freshman Taylor Dumond (Minisink, N.Y.) scored two goals on three shots in her collegiate debut
- Senior defender Heather Rohr (Merrimack, N.H.) added four ground balls, five draw controls, and five caused turnovers
- Senior defender Madison Scott (Cumberland, Maine) chipped in with two ground balls and three caused turnovers
LEADERS – MAINE MARITIME:
- Mitchell registered two goals, three assists, and three ground balls
- Caron added two goals and an assist with three ground balls and five draw controls
- Stoddard scored two goals with two ground balls and six draw controls
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory Saint Joseph's improves to 5-0 all-time versus Maine Maritime Academy.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host Plymouth State University on Wednesday at 5:00 PM.
