Monks Hold Off Lasers, 2-1

Monks Hold Off Lasers, 2-1

STANDISH, ME – Jessica Needham '11 (East Bridgewater, MA) and Mikayla Call '11 (Portland, ME/McAuley) hooked up for a pair of second-half goals to lift Saint Joseph's (5-0, 2-0 GNAC) past Lasell College (4-2, 1-1) in a GNAC Women's Soccer match at Westerlea Way Field Saturday.

After 47 minutes of scoreless play, Needham put the Monks on top when she finished a perfect setup pass from Call at the 47:04 mark. The seniors connected again less than 20 minutes later, with Needham netting her seventh goal of the year with a shot between the post and Lasell keeper Elizabeth Stickley '12 (Mashpee, MA) in the 66th minute.

SJC rookie netminder Jackie Lorenzen (Windham, ME) was brilliant once again for the Monks, as the recent GNAC Goalkeeper of the Week recorded a career-high 11 saves in the important conference conquest. The first-year keeper looked like a veteran in goal, particularly in the closing minutes when she tipped a Jordynn Frollo '12 (Uxbridge, MA) shot off the crossbar and made a diving save on a Meredith Hessler '12 (Middletown, RI) attempt with just 55 seconds left.

Liz McGeoy '12 (Doylestown, PA) scored the lone Lasell marker off a Reegan Brackett '13 (Scarborough, ME) pass in the 69th minute. Stickley registered four saves in net for the Lasers.

Lasell held advantages in shots (25-9), shots on goal (12-6) and corner kicks (3-1) in a losing effort and posted a whopping 19 shots in the second half alone. The Monks hadn't been outshot in a game since October 24th, 2009 in a 4-3 loss at Emmanuel College, a span of nine contests.

The 5-0 start is the second-best start to a season in program history. The 2007 Monks began opened the year with 11 straight victories en route to a 16-2-3 final record and an appearance in the ECAC New England Tournament.

Needham, who has tallied seven goals, five assists and 19 points in just five games thus far, is rapidly moving up in the career record categories at Saint Joseph's. She is currently tied for seventh all-time in goals (33) with Kristy Shedd '99, ranks third in career assists (23) and sixth in points (89).

Call, with three goals, three assists and nine total points this fall, is well on her way to securing her position as one of the Monks' all-time greats. She now ranks third in points (96), fourth in goals (37) and is tied for fourth in assists (22) with Shedd and Denise Hudson '98.

With the victory, St. Joe's improves to 4-1-1 against Lasell College in the history of the matchup.

For the Monks, four of the next five games are on the road beginning with a game at Suffolk University on Wednesday, September 22nd at 6:00 PM. Lasell will spring back into action Tuesday at Emmanuel College.