STANDISH, ME – Freshman forward Amanda Celata (Dedham, Mass.) scored twice to help lift Saint Joseph's (3-0, 1-0 NAC) past Anna Maria College (1-3), 2-0, in non-conference field hockey action at Mercy Field on Sunday afternoon.
Celata netted her first collegiate goal late in the first half from close range on a well-executed penalty corner play. Junior Carley Denis (Lewiston, Maine) took the corner from the left side and several nifty passes followed, with the last coming from the top of the circle off the stick of senior Melanie Allen (Jackson, N.H.) to Celata, who finished the play with a blast to the bottom right corner of the cage at the 27:11 mark.
The slim lead held true until the 64th minute when Celata tapped in her second goal of the contest on a fast break. Junior Rachelle Messuri (Atkinson, N.H.) controlled the ball from midfield all the way to the goal mouth on the right side and pushed a perfect cross pass to her rookie teammate, who one-timed the feed into the right corner of the cage, extending the hosts' cushion to 2-0 with 6:40 remaining.
Saint Joseph's employed a pair of keepers in the victory, as senior Taylor Allison (Pawtucket, R.I.) made one save in the first half and freshman Emily Gallant (Rumford, Maine) – making her NCAA debut - stopped the only shot she faced in the second stanza. Anna Maria freshman netminder Mary Kate Breen (Londonderry, N.H.) registered five saves in a losing effort.
Overall, Saint Joseph's held large advantages in both shots (15-4) and penalty corners (23-2) on the afternoon. Fouls were fairly even, as St. Joe's was hit with 66 infractions and the AMCATS were flagged on 64 occasions.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 8-2 in the history of the series with Anna Maria College. The Monks have defeated the AMCATS in six consecutive meetings dating back to the 2006 season.
St. Joe's, which recorded a shutout win over Eastern Connecticut in the season-opener a week ago and blanked Lasell College yesterday, has started the year with three consecutive goose egg efforts for the first time in the 18-year history of the program.
Saint Joseph's resumes play on Wednesday when the Monks travel to Biddeford for a non-conference contest against University of New England in a 7:00 PM start. Anna Maria plays at Rivier University on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
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.
