STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (1-0) toppled Gordon College (2-1), 17-5, in what was the Monks' 2023 season-opener at the SJC Athletics Complex on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Due to the brisk temperatures, the teams agreed to play the game with a running clock and limited breaks, but the Monks wasted little time getting on the board as junior Carson Battaglia (Gorham, Maine) scored off a Brianna Paul (Brattleboro, Vt.) feed 1:05 into the game.
As it played out, Battaglia's goal was the first of nine unanswered tallies, including four-straight from grad student Lydia Dexter (Oakland, Maine) in a six-minute span. Freshman Celia Melanson (Waterford, Maine) netted her first collegiate goal on a free position shot with 1:36 remaining in the first frame while Battaglia and Dexter hit pay dirt with strikes in the closing 23 seconds of the quarter to lift the hosts to an 8-0 advantage.
Junior Bridget Collins (Milford, Conn.) capped the 9-0 run with her first goal of the year 1:28 into the second stanza. Gordon sophomore Hailey Beling (Cheshire, Conn.) and sophomore Mikayla Lecci (Yaphank, N.Y.) sandwiched a Battaglia tally to account for the 10-2 margin going into halftime.
Saint Joseph's proceeded to score seven-consecutive goals, including a pair apiece from junior Megan Mourmouras (Biddeford, Maine), Collins, and Dexter, to claim a 17-2 cushion with 10:26 left.
In the closing eight minutes, sophomore Kaitlyn Mini (Malden, Mass.) potted a pair of goals and Beling added a man-up marker to make up the 17-5 final score.
TEAM STATS:
Saint Joseph's held the lead in shots (32-12), shots on goal (29-11), ground balls (25-13), draw controls (19-3), and caused turnovers (8-5).
THE KEEPERS:
For the Monks, sophomore Morgan Wright (Chelmsford, Mass.) picked up the victory after making one save in a pair of shutout quarters (25:27) while freshman Alexis Eldridge (Effingham, N.H.) made five stops and allowed five tallies in 34:33 between the pipes.
For the Fighting Scots, sophomore Kayla Davison (Dracut, Mass.) allowed 13 goals and turned away 10 shots in 38:01 minutes while junior Sophea Zaskoda (Lansdale, Pa.) yielded four goals and made a pair of saves in 21:59 of play.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Dexter tallied seven goals with an assist, six ground balls, and a pair of draw controls
- Battaglia added three goals and an assist with eight draw controls and four ground balls
- Collins netted a hat trick with two assists
- Sophomore Shauna Clark (Oakland, Maine) tacked on a goal with two assists and a pair of draw controls
- Mourmouras netted two goals on four shots
- Junior Heather Rohr (Merrimack, N.H.) picked up two ground balls and six draw controls
- Junior Madison Scott (Cumberland, Maine) added four ground balls and four caused turnovers
LEADERS – GORDON:
- Mini and Beling scored two goals apiece
- Junior Abbie Zorrilla (Ephrata, Pa.) scooped up three ground balls
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 2-0 all-time versus Gordon College.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host University of Southern Maine on Wednesday at 7:00 PM.
