BOSTON, Mass. – Senior forward Kelsie Dumas (Dalton, Mass.) scored two goals to lead No. 2 Emmanuel College past No. 7 Saint Joseph's College (ME), 2-0, Sunday afternoon in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Quarterfinals action at Roberto Clemente Field. With the win, the Saints improve to 12-9 on the year while the loss ends the Monks season with an 8-10-2 record.
Saint Joseph's had the game's first scoring opportunity just 4:42 into the action when senior forward Danielle Daigle (Dayton, Maine) tested EC rookie goalie Victoria Laroche (Hudson, N.H.) with a right-footed strike from deep within the 18-yard box. Laroche made a diving save to left right to set the tone for the afternoon.
Minutes later, Dumas gave the hosts the lead for good with her 13th goal and fifth game-winning tally of the year. Junior midfielder Katelyn Fink (Sanford, Maine) played a through ball pass on the ground to Dumas who made a hard run on the right side of the pitch past the Monks defensive line. Saint Joseph's freshman goalie Brooke Troup (East Bridgewater, Mass.) was forced to come off her line to cut down the angle but Dumas took a smooth right-footed touch past the last line of defense before finding the weak side of the net to give Emmanuel the 1-0 lead just 9:24 into the action.
Around the 25 minute marker, EC had back-to-back scoring opportunities but the Monks came up with a pair of stops to keep it a one-goal game. Sophomore midfielder Maggie Carey (Swampscott, Mass.) was able to fire off both shots in a scrum in front of the visitor's goal but the Saint Joseph's defensive unit blocked both attempts.
The score would remain 1-0 into the halftime break with the Saints owning a 10-4 advantage in shots and a 6-2 margin in corner kicks.
Similar to the opening stanza, the Monks tested Laroche early in the second frame as junior midfielder Hannah LeBlanc (Andover, Mass.) had a scoring opportunity denied by Laroche in the 55th minute of action.
Emmanuel continued to press and eventually added the insurance goal from Dumas at the 79:05 marker to make it 2-0 with just over 10 minutes to play. Just into the game, EC senior forward Amanda Roberts (Hudson, N.H.) played a well positioned cross on the ground through Monks traffic that Dumas was able to convert for her team-leading 14th goal of the year. The two-goal outing marked the first multi-goal game by a member of the Saints in postseason play since Nov. 1, 2009 when Kate McKenna ('10) scored a pair in a 4-0 Quarterfinals victory over Albertus Magnus College.
Laroche ended the afternoon with six saves to earn her 10th win and fourth shutout of the year. Troup made eight saves in net for the Monks.
The Saints return to action on Wednesday, November 5 when they host No. 6 Johnson & Wales University (10-9-2) at 7:00 PM. The Wildcats advanced to the Semifinals moving past No. 3 Simmons College following a 0-0 (2OT) draw that was decided by a penalty kick shootout in which JWU moved on with a 3-2 advantage in PK's.
COURTESY OF EMMANUEL COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
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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 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.