STANDISH, ME – Plymouth State College (10-5, 8-2 LEC) edged Saint Joseph's College (13-3, 7-2 NAC), 4-3, in overtime in non-conference field hockey action at Mercy Field on Tuesday afternoon.
The Monks and Panthers traded goals throughout regulation and the visitors held a 3-2 lead late in the contest. With time waning, senior Rachelle Messuri (Atkinson, N.H.) took a shot from the right that was stopped by Plymouth keeper Hillary Lemelin (Milan, N.H.) and the rebound bounced to the stick of Effie Drew (Portland, Maine), who slammed the ball into the left corner to knot the game at three-apiece with 4:57 remaining in regulation.
With new life, the Monks managed to control the pace of play during the closing minutes and earned four penalty corners in the final 75 seconds, including a pair of attempts with no time on the game clock. The Royal Blue managed to record just two shots off the corner bids however, as shots by Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) and Carley Denis (Lewiston, Maine) were blocked and sailed wide right, respectively.
Playing 7v7 in overtime, the Panthers maintained possession and their efforts paid off just 2:42 into extra play after a flurry of opportunities. Dribbling through several defenders working upfield and across the midline, senior Lauren Carroll (Rollinsford, N.H.) sprung junior Nikki Garvey (Canaan, N.H.) on a breakaway. Saint Joseph's freshman keeper Emma Astbury (Bridgewater, Vt.) left the crease to challenge and made a pair of point-blank stops, but failed to control the second rebound, which trickled to the stick of Kaitlyn Wilder (Framingham, Mass.). With Astbury 15 feet out of the cage and only a pair of defenders to beat, the Panthers' freshman forward fired off two quick shots with the latter finding the back of the goal for the winner.
Sophomore defender Meghan Williams (Greenland, N.H./Saint Thomas Aquinas) was one of the SJC defenders in goal on the final play and recorded a fine defensive save on Wilder's first shot attempt.
Denis and Williams also scored for the Monks, while junior forward Emily Davis (Boscawen, N.H.), senior midfielder Jackie Morin (Scarborough, Maine) and Garvey potted the regulation markers for the Panthers.
The first goal of the contest, scored by Davis 10:34 into play, was the first marker allowed by the Monks since October 9th, when the team suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of Lasell College. It also counted as the first score Saint Joseph's had allowed at home this fall. Today's loss snaps an eight-game home win streak for St. Joe's and the Monks' first setback at Mercy Field since Endicott College topped the Royal Blue by a 3-1 score on September 25th, 2012.
In goal, Astbury made seven saves in a losing effort while Lemelin did not make a save in the victory for Plymouth State.
The Panthers held a 21-6 advantage in shots while the Monks held an 11-6 lead in penalty corners on the afternoon.
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 2-3 in the history of the series with Plymouth State College. Four of the five meetings have been decided by one goal.
Prior to the contest, a brief ceremony was held to honor the Monks' three seniors: Denis, Hendrix and Messuri. The trio has helped the SJC field hockey team record a 48-23 (.676) record, including a 27-7 (.794) mark in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) play, over the past four seasons.
Saint Joseph's, the #2 seed in the NAC Tournament, will host #7 Lasell College in a conference quarterfinal on Saturday at 2:00 PM. Plymouth State will host Little East Conference rival Bridgewater State at 12:00 PM on Saturday.
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.
