STANDISH, ME – Endicott College (6-2, 2-0 CCC) defeated Saint Joseph's (6-3, 3-1 NAC), 3-1, in a non-conference field hockey contest at Mercy Field on Tuesday afternoon. SJC senior goalkeeper Taylor Allison (Pawtucket, R.I.) made nine saves in a losing effort.
Endicott wasted little time as the visitors started the scoring just 4:10 after the opening whistle when senior forward Hannah Thornberg (Oakland, Maine) scored off a Stacie Teevens (Westborough, Mass.) feed. The Monks answered 11 minutes later when junior Carley Denis (Lewiston, Maine) punched in a one-timer off a Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) pass, but had no answer for two Endicott goals in the second stanza in a 3-1 loss.
The Gulls applied plenty of pressure early and the efforts paid off when Teevens, who stripped the ball from an SJC defender on the right side of the circle, threaded a pass near the left post to Thornberg, who slammed the ball into the left corner of the cage to lift her team to an early edge.
Hendrix set up the Monks' goal with an impressive individual effort, as the junior collected the ball near midfield and dangled through several Endicott defenders on her way to the top of the circle, where she deftly passed to her classmate. Denis finished the play, slapping a one-timer – while falling to the turf – past Gulls netminder Taylor Teixeira (Exeter, N.H.), who was screened by one of her defenders.
St. Joe's had a prime opportunity to take the lead in the 47th minute, when Teixeira left the cage to challenge freshman Meghan Williams (Greenland, N.H./St. Thomas Aquinas), who took a shot and followed, but could not control the rebound in front of a wide-open goal.
The 1-1 deadlock would not be broken until the 55th minute, when sophomore Emily Sawchuck (Cumberland, Maine/Cheverus) scored on a penalty corner play. Sawchuck, who took the ball in-bounds, fed Mackenzie Hurst (Gilford, N.H.) with a pass and bolted to the right post, received the ball on a drawn-out give-and-go and belted an odd-angle shot past Allison, netting the goal that proved to be the game-winner.
Thornberg provided the visitors with extra breathing room with her second goal of the game with a bounding shot off a penalty corner at the 69:08 mark.
For Allison, the total of nine saves in a game is a career-high. Teixeira made one stop for the visitors.
Endicott held advantages in shots (14-2) and corners (7-3) on the afternoon and is now 11-3 in the history of the series with Saint Joseph's College.
St. Joe's begins a stretch of three straight conference contests on the road with a trip to Maine-Farmington on Saturday (10:30 AM).
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.
