PORTLAND, ME – Saint Joseph's College (9-5, 5-2 GNAC) bested Anna Maria College (0-9, 0-6 GNAC), 18-5, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's lacrosse contest at Fitzpatrick Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The game stood at a 1-1 deadlock early on, as Saint Joseph's junior Macy Pagurko (Augusta, Maine) and Anna Maria senior Sandy Acosta (Lawrence, Mass.) traded goals in the opening 4:41, but the Monks rattled off 11 unanswered tallies during the remainder of the first half and carried a daunting 12-1 into intermission.

The AMCATS cut their deficit down to 12-3 with Acosta and Kylie Dalbec (Portland, Maine) markers in the start of the second stanza, but the visitors' optimism was short-lived as St. Joe's extended the lead back to 11 with Lauren Bailey (Hampton, N.H./St. Thomas Aquinas) and Kat Gadbois (Scarborough, Maine) goals in a 1:15 span.

For the Monks, junior Anneka Adame (San Diego, Calif.) registered two goals, two assists and four draw controls while Pagurko, Cassie Diplock (Augusta, Maine) and Kirstin McCombs (Lewiston, Maine) chipped in two goals apiece in the victory. Victoria Tenenbaum (Brunswick, Maine/McAuley) contributed a goal and two assists while Gadbois and Krystal Walsh (Springvale, Maine) both posted a goal and an assist on the afternoon.

Making her first start of the season, junior goalkeeper Elizabeth Giacchino (Melrose, Mass.) recorded four saves during 60 minutes between the pipes to earn the win. Emma Lafrance (Westport, Mass.) scooped up a game-high 11 ground balls, Pagurko added nine ground balls, Rachelle Messuri (Atkinson, N.H.) chipped in with seven ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers, Doe Leckie (Naples, Maine) produced eight ground balls and two caused turnovers and Lizzie Calnan (Westport, Mass.) contributed five ground balls, four draw controls and three caused turnovers in the triumph.

For the AMCATS, Acosta tallied three goals with a game-high 10 draw controls, four ground balls and three caused turnovers and Dalbec netted a pair of markers with eight ground balls, four draw controls and three caused turnovers in a losing effort.

Anna Maria freshman netminder Shannon Donovan (Marlborough, Mass.) recorded 13 saves for the visitors.

With 73 ground balls in today's victory, Saint Joseph's shattered the program's single-game record in the category. The previous record (58) took place in a 16-5 triumph over University of Saint Joseph on April 6th, 2008.

With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 2-0 in the history of the series with Anna Maria College. The Monks toppled the AMCATs by a 21-9 margin in Paxton, Massachusetts last spring.

Saint Joseph's returns to action on Wednesday when the Monks host GNAC-rival University of Saint Joseph in a 4:00 PM start and what could be the team's lone contest on campus this spring, weather permitting.

Anna Maria will host Norwich University on Monday in a conference contest beginning at 6:00 PM.

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.