STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (1-0) kicked off the 2012 campaign with a convincing 6-0 victory over Thomas College (0-3) at Westerlea Way Field on Thursday afternoon. Senior Katherine Chambers (Hampden, Maine) netted her first collegiate hat trick, with sophomore Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) recording an assist on all three goals, in the triumph.

The SJC women's program reached an impressive milestone in the win, as a goal scored by sophomore Danielle Daigle (Dayton, Maine) in the 20th minute was the 1,000th goal in program history. Through today's match, 127 different St. Joe's players have combined to score 1,003 goals in 442 games in just over 24 seasons.

The match between the former conference foes was lopsided from the start as the Chambers-Jordon combo worked together to score twice in the first 19 minutes and Daigle made it a 3-0 game when she scored off a Jessica Capozzi (Saugus, Mass.) feed at the 19:22 mark.

The 3-0 cushion carried for the remainder of the first half, a 45-minute span during which the Monks held a 15-0 advantage in shots. The offensive onslaught continued in the second stanza, as Chambers completed the three-goal performance off a Jordan feed at the 55:57 mark and sophomore Catherine Murch (West Baldwin, Maine) drilled her first marker of the year with a blast from the 20 to the top right corner  just under 10 minutes later.

With her helper on Chambers' third goal of the afternoon, Jordan became the first player in program history to notch three assists in a game.

Sophomore Sam Peters (Gorham, Maine) capped the game scoring with her first NCAA goal in the 74th minute of play. Senior Jennifer Keaney (Scituate, Mass.) was credited with an assist on the play.

Overall, the Monks held a 30-1 lead in shots and a 4-0 cushion in corner kicks in the season-opening triumph. Thomas junior netminder Kate Thibodeau (Woolrich, Maine) made 15 saves in a losing effort, while St. Joe's junior keeper Jaci Lorenzen (Windham, Maine) was asked to make one save en route to registering her 11th career shutout.

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 32-6 in the history of the series with Thomas College and the Monks have extended their winning streak versus the Terriers to 17 games. The string of wins dates back to the 1998 campaign and counts as the second-longest streak in program history, ranking only behind a 28-game run over Husson University that spanned 14 seasons (1988-2001).

Saint Joseph's is now 14-10-1 in season openers and Head Coach Michael Bolanz '00, now in his ninth season, owns a 6-2-1 record in opening contests.

Both teams return to action on Sunday, when St. Joe's plays at Green Mountain College in a 2:00 PM kickoff while Thomas plays at Maine-Machias in a 1:00 PM start. 

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.