PHOTO CREDIT: Laurel Clace '25
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - #1S Johnson & Wales University (14-4) scored six unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to defeat #2N Saint Joseph's College (14-5), 15-8, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament semifinal contest on Tuesday afternoon.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
With the win, Johnson & Wales advances to the GNAC Championship game for the eighth-consecutive season and will face the winner of the #3N Colby-Sawyer / #1N Emmanuel semifinal in the title bout on Saturday.
For Saint Joseph's, the loss signals the end of the 2024 season and the collegiate lacrosse careers of the Monks' seven seniors: Carson Battaglia (Gorham, Maine), Bridget Collins (Milford, Conn.), Riley Kiernan (Waltham, Mass.), Caitlin O'Keefe (Whitman, Mass.), Heather Rohr (Merrimack, N.H.), and Madison Scott (Cumberland, Maine). The team's Class of 2024 has helped the Monks record a 56-12 (.824) overall record, including a remarkable 36-4 (.900) mark in conference play, with a GNAC Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Battaglia kicked off the scoring with a pair of goals in the first four minutes, but the Wildcats countered with a 5-1 run that featured a pair of Mila Kuilan strikes and lifted the hosts to a 5-3 advantage going into the second stanza.
Junior Mackenzie Siebert (Naples, Maine) connected on a free-position shot 44 seconds into the second quarter to make it a 5-4 game. JWU answered by netting three of the following four goals en route to securing an 8-5 lead heading into intermission.
The Monks tightened the collar in the third quarter, when they Celia Melanson (Waterford, Maine) and Collins scored man-up markers midway through the frame. JWU's Izzy Babb and Collins swapped scores less than a minute apart late in the third as the Wildcats clung to a 9-8 edge going into the fourth.
Unfortunately for the Monks, the fourth quarter was all Wildcats as the hosts pocketed six straight goals, including three from Katie Sloan, to secure the triumph.
TEAM STATS:
Johnson & Wales held the lead in shots (36-27), shots on goal (25-17), ground balls (23-17), draw controls (14-13), and caused turnovers (9-8).
THE KEEPERS:
SJC sophomore starter Alexis Eldridge (Effingham, N.H.) made five saves and allowed eight goals in the first half while junior Morgan Wright (Chelmsford, Mass.) gave up seven goals with five stops in the second stanza.
JWU netminder Emma Glyman registered nine saves in the winning performance.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Battaglia scored three goals with 11 draw controls and three ground balls
- Siebert added two goals and an assist on eight shots
- Collins scored twice with an assist
- Melanson chipped in with a goal, two assists, and a pair of ground balls
LEADERS – JOHNSON & WALES:
- Madeleine Gould tallied four goals and an assist with six draw controls, and three ground balls
- Sloan netted four goals with three caused turnovers
- Babb contributed three goals and two assists
- Kuilan scored twice with a pair of ground balls