BIDDEFORD, Maine – University of New England (1-0) erased an early three-goal deficit to defeat Saint Joseph's College (0-1), 15-12, in what was the 2015 season-opener for both programs on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore midfielder Jackie Wilson (Tiverton, R.I.) registered two goals and an assist with five ground balls, five draw controls and a pair of caused turnovers in the hard-fought loss.
The score stood at a 6-6 tie at halftime, but University of New England opened the second stanza with five unanswered goals to essentially put the game out of reach. The Monks trailed by five, 14-9, with 5:14 remaining and scored three of the next four goals, but the closing-minutes push proved to be too late.
Saint Joseph's struck first, as freshman attack Elyse Caiazzo (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) netted her first NCAA goal off a Mary Leasure (South Portland, Maine/McAuley) pass 2:45 into play. With the score tied 2-2 seven minutes later, the Monks tallied three unanswered goals – two from junior Elizabeth Elcock (Westwood, Mass.) and the third from sophomore Kelsey Dumond (Lewiston, Maine) – to claim a 5-2 advantage with 13:02 left in the first half.
The Nor'easters responded with goals from Brooke Kelleher (Exeter, N.H.), Hannah Warren (Harrison, Maine) and Macki Hill (Work Beach, Maine) to tie the game at five-apiece with 1:42 left in the opening frame. Junior Kat Gadbois (Scarborough, Maine) put the Monks back on top with a free-position goal a minute later, but Warren scored 11 seconds before the break, making it a 6-6 game heading into intermission.
As it played out, Warren scored 49 seconds into the second stanza to lift the Nor'easters to a lead that would not be relinquished, as the marker kicked off the aforementioned 5-0 run that saw UNE claim an 11-6 cushion with 19:37 left.
Leasure finally put the Monks on the board in the second half with a man-down goal, the first of her career, off a Wilson pass at the 16:35 mark. Caiazzo assisted on a Dumond marker 5:33 later and netted a man-down goal of her own to make it a 12-9 game with 8:24 on the clock.
The Nor'easters responded with a pair of goals, both off the crosse of Gina Newsome (Danbury, Conn.), over the following three minutes to reclaim a five-goal (14-9) lead.
For the Monks, Caiazzo enjoyed a fine collegiate debut with three goals and an assist, Elcock registered the first hat trick of her career, Dumond scored twice, Leasure added a goal and a career-best three assists, and senior Lizzie Calnan (Westport, Mass.) added a pair of assists in the losing bid.
Warren paced the Nor'easters with a game-high five goals while Hill added four markers and a helper and Newsome tallied three goals and a pair of assists in the victory. Jessica Deedon (Sherman, Conn.) registered two goals and an assist and Rachel Schwaner (Holderness, N.H.) corralled eight draw controls and Kasey Rubenstein (Somers, N.Y.) added five ground balls and six caused turnovers on the afternoon.
In goal, Saint Joseph's junior Michelle Cunha (Enfield, Conn.) and UNE junior Lauryn Huck (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) recorded eight saves apiece.
Overall, UNE held advantages in shots (31-25), draw controls (18-11) and turnovers (30-32) while SJC owned a 26-22 lead in ground balls as well as a better clear rate (9-16/8-17) in the season opener.
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 0-3 all-time versus University of New England, but the Monks appear to be closing the gap on their in-state rivals, as the Nor'easters defeated the Royal Blue by a collective 42-11 score the first two times these teams met on the turf.
Saint Joseph's hosts Husson University at Deering Memorial Stadium on Thursday at 3:30 PM while UNE hosts Bowdoin College on Wednesday at 5:00 PM.
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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.
