STANDISH, Maine – Top-seeded Saint Joseph's College (14-1, 9-0 GNAC) will host #8 Rivier University (4-12, 3-6 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament Quarterfinal contest tonight at 7:00 PM at McMann Field in Bath, Maine.
Both teams are vying for an opportunity to challenge for the eighth GNAC Women's Lacrosse Championship, a contest that will be hosted by the highest remaining seed on Sunday. The GNAC began sponsoring in the spring of 2008 and the winner of the conference title match earns an automatic berth into the NCAA DIII National Tournament, which begins on Wednesday, May 6th.
What have you done lately?
Saint Joseph's enters tournament play riding a 14-game win streak, the longest string of victories in team history, and has not suffered a setback since falling to University of New England, 15-12, in the season-opener on March 1st. The Monks recorded three close victories in the final weeks of the season, tipping 2014 GNAC Champion Emmanuel College, 7-6, on April 6th before edging Johnson & Wales University, 11-8, and Simmons College, 17-15 in OT, on April 11th and 18th, respectively.
The Monks currently lead the conference in goals (233), assists (115), goals per game (15.53), shots (502), shots on goal (392), caused turnovers (192) and goals against average (7.02). St. Joe's has already shattered the program's single-season records for goals, assists and points and ranks nationally in win percentage (3rd, .933), fifth in ground balls per game (30.13) and 10th in both caused turnovers and scoring margin (8.47).
Rivier begins the 2015 postseason having lost five-consecutive contests, including losses at the hands of Saint Joseph's (21-7, 4/8), Norwich University (13-11, 4/13) and Emmanuel (17-4, 4/15). The Raiders' last victory took place on April 3rd, when they defeated University of Saint Joseph (CT) by a 16-15 score.
The Raiders lead the conference in ground balls (527) and rank third in the GNAC in draw controls (205) and saves (155). Rivier ranks second nationally in ground balls per game (32.69).
Who to watch – Saint Joseph's
The Monks feature seven players with at least 30 points this spring, an impressive group led by freshman attack Elyse Caiazzo (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus), who has netted 56 goals with 17 assists for 73 total points.
Junior attack Mary Leasure (South Portland, Maine/McAuley) leads the GNAC with a team-record 37 assists and has scored 26 goals to account for a total of 63 points while junior midfielder Kat Gadbois (Scarborough, Maine) has recorded 33 goals and 18 assists for 51 points while picking up a conference-high 78 ground balls.
Junior attack Elizabeth Elcock (Westwood, Mass.) (34-5-39), senior midfielder Lizzie Calnan (Westport, Mass.) (24-12-36), sophomore attack Kelsey Dumond (Lewiston, Maine) (23-8-31) and sophomore midfielder Jackie Wilson (Tiverton, R.I.) (20-11-31) round out the Monks' well-rounded offensive attack.
Who to watch – Rivier:
The Raiders also possess a balanced offense with four players having contributed 25 points or more on the season. Sophomore midfielder Amanda Wickens (Tyngsboro, Mass.) rates as the visitors' top scorer with 41 goals and nine assists for 50 total points.
Senior midfielder Savannah Neuwirt (Newbury, N.H.) paces Rivier with 13 assists and ranks second on the squad with 34 total points while junior midfielder Jocelyn Park (Londonderry, N.H.) has tallied 27 points (17-10) and freshman midfielder Taylor Lirakis (Tewksbury, Mass.) ranks fourth on the team with 25 points (17-8) in her first collegiate campaign.
Attitude reflects leadership:
Head Coach Rupert Lewis, the first head coach in Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse history, played a significant role in lifting the former club program to NCAA DIII varsity status, as the Monks played under his watch during the squad's inaugural season (2008). In two years at the helm for the fledgling program, Lewis posted an 11-16 record, including a 5-6 mark in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, with conference tournament appearances both years.
The most successful skipper in SJC field hockey history, Lewis owns a 114-67 (.630) career record and led the Monks to four conference championship appearances along with a 45-8 (.849) in-conference mark over the last six seasons.
Head Coach Ellen Maruszewski is in her first year as the Raiders' clipboard carrier and, like Coach Lewis, doubles as the Rivier field hockey skipper during the fall season. She was a four-year starting defender for the field hockey program at Saint Anselm College, an NCAA DII institution located in Goffstown, N.H.
The last time we met:
Saint Joseph's toppled Rivier by a 21-7 score at Deering Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, April 8th. Leasure led the offensive attack with eight points – four goals, four assists – while Caiazzo and Wilson contributed three goals and a pair of assists apiece and Gadbois chipped in with two goals, two assists and 10 ground balls in the triumph.
Rivier received two goals apiece from Wickens and Neuwirt and senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Flagg (Shirley, Mass.) made 24 saves in the losing effort.
Historically speaking:
With the 21-7 victory earlier this month, Saint Joseph's improved to 4-2 all-time versus Rivier University, a team the Monks defeated by a 14-11 margin in Nashua last spring. St. Joe's has topped Rivier in three-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2013 campaign.
#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.
