STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (5-4-1, 2-0-1 GNAC) remained undefeated in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play with a 2-0 victory over Simmons College (2-5-1, 1-2-0 GNAC) at Westerlea Way Field on Saturday afternoon.

SUM IT UP

Sophomore Haley DaGraca (Saco, Maine) netted what proved to be the game-winner in the 16th minute when the second-year standout rifled a shot from the top of the box that ricocheted off the crossbar and across the goal line. Sophomore scored her first career goal 2:17 into the second stanza with a shot, taken from just outside the box, to the top right corner to account for the 2-0 final.

THE KEEPERS

Saint Joseph's junior Brooke Troup (East Bridgewater, Mass.) notched her second shutout of the season – and eighth of her career – with four saves in a complete-game effort while Simmons junior Casey Halle (Watertown, Mass.) stopped six shots in a losing effort.

NOTEWORTHY

• The Sharks' best scoring opportunity came in the 12th minute, when a shot taken by sophomore Ciara Forde (Quincy, Mass.) was stopped by SJC sophomore Colleen Sheehan (Medway, Mass.) after Troup vacated her post to challenge
• DaGraca led the Monks with four shots while junior Kashka Gammon (Nashua, N.H.) and Forde both tallied four shots for the Sharks

TEAM STATS

According to the stat sheet, the conference rivals played nearly even as the Monks held a 13-12 lead in shots and the Sharks owned a 2-1 corner kicks advantage on the afternoon.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 5-5-1 in the history of the series with Simmons College, a team that defeated the Monks by a 3-1 margin in Boston last fall. Four of the SJC victories over Simmons have been of the shutout variety.

NEXT!

Both teams are back in action facing GNAC opponents on Wednesday, when Saint Joseph's travels to Mount Ida College for a 3:30 PM start and Simmons hosts Emmanuel College in a 7:00 PM kick-off.

#GOMONKS

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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 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.