STANDISH, Maine – Fourth-seeded Anna Maria College (13-8, 3-3 GNAC) stunned #1 Saint Joseph's College (14-3, 6-0 GNAC), 1-0, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Semifinal at Mercy Field on Wednesday afternoon.
Junior forward Kylie Dalbec (Portland, Maine) broke a scoreless stalemate in the 54th minute when she netted her GNAC-leading 21st goal of the season during a scrum in front of the Monks' cage. Senior Nichole Lowe (Saugus, Mass.) was credited with an assist on the game's lone goal.
With the victory, Anna Maria moves on and will play either #2 Simmons College or #3 Johnson & Wales University in the GNAC Championship on Saturday. The Sharks and Wildcats face off in the other semifinal tonight at 7:00 PM. The loss signals the end of the season for Saint Joseph's College.
Saint Joseph's had an opportunity to get on the board around 10 minutes before the AMCATS' tally, but a shot on a penalty corner play by senior Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) that appeared to be a goal was called off due to a dangerous ball infraction.
The Monks held sizeable advantages in both shots (11-2) and penalty corners (19-3) in the season-ending loss. SJC sophomore keeper Emma Astbury (Bridgewater, Vt.) made one save for the hosts while junior netminder Mary Kate Breen (Londonderry, N.H.) posted eight stops for the visitors.
The loss brings an untimely ending to NCAA Field Hockey for the Monks' four seniors: Hendrix, Kaylee Heath (Pittston, Maine), Emily Jordan (Whitefield, Maine) and Effie Drew (Portland, Maine), a group that helped Saint Joseph's post a 51-21 (.708) overall record with an incredible 26-7 (.788) mark in conference play over the past four seasons.
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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 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.
