PAXTON, MA – Saint Joseph's College (9-1, 4-0 GNAC) blanked Anna Maria College (4-5-1, 0-4 GNAC), 2-0, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's soccer match on Wednesday afternoon.
With the victory, the Monks extend their winning streak to seven games and, along with reigning conference champion Lasell College, remain as one of two undefeated GNAC teams.
Saint Joseph's dominated the stat charts, holding a 33-4 advantage in shots and a 15-0 corner kick lead in the conference contest, but AMCATS sophomore goalkeeper Teresa Ryan (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was able to maintain a manageable deficit by making 17 saves in a losing effort.
The Monks peppered Ryan with 11 shots and the second-year keeper stopped all six shots she faced over the first 25 minutes of play, but Saint Joseph's finally solved the Anna Maria backstop when senior midfielder Jessica Capozzi (Saugus, Mass.) scored off a Whitney White (Salem, N.H.) pass in the 29th minute of play.
The AMCATS could not muster an attempt until the 31st minute when SJC goalie Jaci Lorenzen (Windham, Maine) posted a pair of saves off shots by freshman Sarah Fogg (Gorham, Maine) and first-year Julianna Ceccarini (Westfield, Mass.) within a matter of 16 seconds.
The hosts' offensive efforts were unsustainable however, as the Monks managed to double their lead less than 30 seconds after the brief Anna Maria barrage. Sophomore forward Hannah LeBlanc (Andover, Mass.) provided the punch with a goal at the 31:06 mark and freshman midfielder Desiree Parent (Westborough, Mass.) was credited with an assist on the visitors' second strike of the afternoon.
Despite continued pressure to the tune of a 13-2 shots advantage in the second stanza, the 2-0 score remained until the final buzzer rang.
Lorenzen, who recently garnered GNAC Goalkeeper of the Week honors, recorded four saves to notch her conference-leading seventh shutout of the season. Parent provided a spark with six shots while junior Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) added four shots in the victory.
With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 3-0 in the history of the series with Anna Maria College, a side the Monks toppled by an 11-0 margin last fall and an 8-0 score in 2011.
Saint Joseph's will continue it's four-game road string with a GNAC contest at Albertus Magnus College on Saturday at 1:00 PM.
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.
