MANSFIELD, CT – Saint Joseph's (1-0) blanked Eastern Connecticut State University (0-1), 3-0, in non-conference field hockey action on Saturday afternoon. Junior forward Rachelle Messuri (Atkinson, N.H.) notched the first multiple-goal effort of her career with two scores in the Monks' season-opener.
With 11 minutes remaining in the first half, Messuri broke a scoreless tie when she drilled a shot into the back of the cage following a give and go feed from classmate Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus).
Four minutes into the second stanza, midfielder Brenna Fitzgibbon (Exeter, N.H.) collected a rebound off her own shot and tipped the ball into the left corner of the goal to record her first collegiate marker and lift the Monks to a 2-0 lead.
Messuri capped the game scoring when she tallied her second goal of the contest in the 54th minute. The third-year player displayed tremendous agility, dodging three Warrior defenders before juking the Eastern keeper and following the ball into an empty cage to account for the 3-0 final.
SJC goalkeeper Taylor Allison (Pawtucket, R.I.) made three saves to record her second career shutout, with her last goose-egg effort coming nearly four years ago in a 5-0 win over Salve Regina on October 11th, 2008. Allison returns to the St. Joe's field hockey program this fall after three off-years and, although she has not played in almost four seasons, has not allowed a goal in her last 160:19 minutes between the pipes for the Monks.
Eastern first-year sophomore goalie Olivia Mullen (Bethel, Conn.) kicked out 12 Saint Joseph's shots in her collegiate field hockey debut.
St. Joe's held commanding advantages in both shots (21-3) and penalty corners (16-1) in the 2012 opener. Messuri led the way with eight shots, including six on goal, while Fitzgibbon tallied four shots and freshman forward Amanda Celeta (Dedham, Mass.) added a pair of shots in the victory.
The Monks and Warriors had never faced each other on the field hockey field before today's contest.
Saint Joseph's resumes play next Saturday with a home game versus North Atlantic Conference rival Lasell College at 12:00 PM. Eastern visits Anna Maria College Thursday at 4:00 PM.
