STANDISH, ME – A pair of first-half goals from junior Danielle Daigle (Dayton, Maine) proved to be the difference for Saint Joseph's (4-1-0, 1-0-0 GNAC) in a 2-1 victory over Johnson & Wales University (2-2-1, 0-1-0 GNAC) in the 2013 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener at Westerlea Way Field on Saturday afternoon.

Junior forward Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) set up the Monks' first goal with a tremendous individual effort, dribbling the ball down the right side of the pitch and delivering a perfect pass in the box to Daigle, who finished with a tap and follow into the Wildcats' net at the 7:21 mark.

Daigle's second marker came off an odd angle shot at quite a distance from the lower right corner of the field. After receiving a touch pass from Jordan, Daigle seemed to be looking for teammate Hannah LeBlanc (Andover, Mass.) with a right to left cross, but her ball somehow slipped past JWU keeper Cassie Collins (Oswego, N.Y.) and into the left corner of the net to make it a 2-0 game with just over 28 minutes left in the opening frame.

Senior Lauren Chouinard (Gorham, Maine) also deserves some credit for the goal after putting forth an impressive effort to gain control of the ball in the heart of the field and dribbling through several defenders before dishing off to Jordan.

Sophomore Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) nearly made it a 3-0 game in favor of the hosts when her long kick from near midfield slipped through Collins' hands and clanged off the crossbar.

Saint Joseph's controlled the pace of play throughout the first half and held an 8-4 advantage in shots before the break. The game looked to be in hand for the hosts going into the second stanza, but the latter 45 featured a rejuvenated Johnson & Wales side as the visitors went on the attack with multiple scoring chances.

After being stopped by SJC senior netminder Jaci Lorenzen (Windham, Maine) on several occasions, the Wildcats finally found the scoreboard in the 74th minute when junior midfielder Nicole Petrone (Branchburg, N.J.) chipped a shot over Lorenzen's head from the right side to make it a 2-1 contest. Junior Kaitlyn Whalen (Whittier, Calif.) played a hand in the play by controlling the ball in the left corner amidst several SJC defenders. Sophomore Megan Dockweiler (Wantagh, N.Y.) received a short back-pass from Whalen and dealt a well-placed rainbow pass to Petrone, who was stationed near the right goalpost and chipped a shot to the left corner of the net.

The remainder of the match proved to be anxious minutes at best for the Royal Blue, as the Wildcats maintained possession for the majority of play. The final seven minutes were particularly tense, as the visitors rattled off five shots during the closing segment, but all were off target as Saint Joseph's held on to take away a 2-1 triumph and begin the GNAC docket on a winning note.

In goal, Lorenzen made four saves while her counterpart, Collins, recorded three stops in a losing bid.

Overall, Saint Joseph's held slim advantages in shots (13-12) and corner kicks (2-1) and was called for five fouls, while Johnson & Wales was flagged for three infractions on the afternoon.

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 2-2-4 in the history of the series with Johnson & Wales University. The Monks and Wildcats dueled to a scoreless tie last fall and settled for a 2-2 deadlock in 2011. Prior to this afternoon, the Monks had not defeated the Wildcats since registering a 5-2 triumph over their conference counterparts on September 8th, 2007.

Saint Joseph's will play at Thomas College on Tuesday at 7:00 PM, while Johnson & Wales is set to host Eastern Nazarene on Thursday at 7:00 PM.

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.