STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (1-1) blanked New England College (0-4), 4-0, in a non-conference field hockey game at Mercy Field on Wednesday afternoon. Freshman Michalia Parent (Westborough, Mass.) scored a goal and added an assist in the shutout effort.
The Monks dominated the stat sheet and maintained possession in the Pilgrim's defensive end for the majority of play in their 2015 home opener, as the hosts outshot the visitors by a 42-0 margin with a 25-0 lead in penalty corners on the afternoon.
New England sophomore goalkeeper Michaela Clark (Dorchester, Mass.) played very well despite the final tally, making a whopping 31 saves while maintaining a respectable score in the complete-game performance.
St. Joe's had plenty of chances early and finally found the back of the cage when Parent steered a shot past Clark in the eighth minute. Freshman Kayla Kelly (York, Maine) set up the play with a perfect pass to Parent, who was stationed near the right post and slammed a shot into the left corner of the cage.
Sophomore Bailey Cutler (Lisbon Falls, Maine) doubled the Monks' cushion with her first goal of the season, scored 17 minutes after the Parent strike and set up by an impressive effort by senior captain Meghan Williams (Greenland, N.H./St. Thomas Aquinas), who delivered the feed after dangling through several Pilgrims players.
The 2-0 margin remained at intermission, but the Monks came out firing in the second stanza and the efforts paid off when junior Kelsey Dumond (Lewiston, Maine) scored on a Parent helper 3:37 into the latter frame.
Williams capped the game scoring at the 40:16 mark when she converted a penalty stroke attempt for her first goal of the season.
Monks freshman keeper Megan Baker (Gorham, Maine), making her first collegiate start, was untested in the shutout victory.
Saint Joseph's opens conference play with a game at Mount Ida College on Saturday at 6:30 PM. New England College hosts Anna Maria College at 1:00 PM on Saturday.
BEYOND THE BOX
- With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 5-2 in the history of the series with New England College and has now defeated the Pilgrims in three-consecutive meetings
- Saint Joseph's is now 60-16 (.790) at home since the start of the 2007 campaign
- With the loss, the Pilgrims extend their losing streak to 27 games – their last win was a 7-0 triumph versus Rivier University on October 15th, 2013
- For Williams, the goal was the seventh of her career and matches her goal total of the 2014 season
- Dumond has 19 goals over 38 career contests
- Clarks save total (31) is the most ever recorded by an opposing goalie in the 21-year history of the SJC field hockey program
UP NEXT
- Saint Joseph's is 1-0 all-time versus Mount Ida College, a program in the midst of its second varsity season
- The Monks defeated the Mustangs, 9-0, at Mercy Field on October 11th and Cutler netted an SJC single-game record four goals in the triumph
- Mount Ida is currently 0-3 and has a game at Daniel Webster College tomorrow at 4:00 PM
#GOMONKS
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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 474-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.
