GORHAM, ME – University of Southern Maine (3-0) defeated Saint Joseph's College (2-2), 17-7, in a non-conference women's lacrosse contest on Thursday afternoon.
Junior Cassie Diplock (Augusta, Maine) led the Monks' offense, scoring four goals and handing out one assist. Classmate Anneka Adame (San Diego, Calif.) had two goals and a game-high seven draw controls. Junior Rachelle Messuri (Atkinson, N.H.) scooped up a team-high seven ground balls for the Monks.
Junior Haley Nason (Saco, Maine) made 16 saves in the Monks' cage.
Junior midfield Jacki Kelly (Brunswick, Maine), who scored a game-high five goals and recorded a school single-game record eight caused turnovers, was one of three USM players to tally five points. Freshman Sarah Pelligrinelli (Southington, Conn.) had four goals and one assist while classmate Anh Nguyen (South Portland, Maine) connected for one goal and dished out a game-high four assists.
Junior Kim Vogel (Sanford, Maine) and freshman Caley Presby (Portland, Maine) split the goaltending duties for USM. Vogel played the opening half making five saves to earn her third win of the season. Presby made her collegiate debut in the second half recording six saves.
Saint Joseph's took a 2-1 lead on goals by Diplock and sophomore Victoria Tenenbaum (Brunswick, Maine) in the opening four minutes. Kelly ignited a string of eight consecutive goals in a 13-minute span by USM as the home side took command at 9-2. Kelly and Pelligrinelli each had three of the goals. USM led at the halftime break 11-4.
USM looked to control the tempo in the second half and slowly continued to build on its lead reaching a high-water mark at 17-5 after Pelligrinelli tallied her fourth goal with 8:21 to play. Diplock trimmed the deficit with a pair of goals 30 seconds apart inside the two-minute mark.
Southern Maine looks to make it four straight on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) hosting Castleton State College. Saint Joseph's opens it GNAC (Great Northeast Athletic Conference) schedule on Saturday (1:00 p.m.) with a game at Emerson College.
COURTESY OF USM SPORTS INFORMATION
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 350-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.
