STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's College (7-1-0, 1-0-0 GNAC) bested University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) (6-3-0, 2-1-0 GNAC), 3-1, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's soccer match at Westerlea Way Field on Saturday afternoon. Junior forward Danielle Daigle (Dayton, Maine) registered a pair of assists in the conference conquest.

The Monks set the tone early with a Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) goal in the third minute and senior Ashley Beaulieu (Gorham, Maine) lifted the hosts to a 2-0 lead with 18:06 left in the opening half. The Blue Jays cut their deficit in half with a tally 11 minutes after the break, but a Hannah LeBlanc (Andover, Mass.) marker with 22:52 remaining in the match yielded another two-goal advantage for the hosts and accounted for the 3-1 final.

Jordan's goal was the result of a well-placed pass and a great individual effort on a 1v1 play. Streaking upfield, Daigle delivered a right-to-left cross into the box to Jordan, who outmuscled a defender and struck the ball – while falling – into the left side of the net with a sliding kick 2:36 after the opening whistle.

The Monks struck again in the 27th minute when Beaulieu scored off a Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) pass. Taking advantage of a turnover in transition, Beaulieu received a lead pass from Pollini, slipped past the Blue Jays' back line and chipped the ball past visiting goalkeeper Melissa Dodge (Watertown, Conn.), who left her post to challenge but left a wide-open net in the process.

The Blue Jays dialed up their offensive efforts in the second half and finally found the back of the net 11:01 into the latter stanza when Dayna Gambino (Newington, Conn.) scored off an Emily Burke (Windsor Locks, Conn.) pass. Gambino secured the crossing pass inside the 18 and turned an SJC defensive lapse into her team's lone goal of the day, as the junior midfielder buried a shot past goalie Jaci Lorenzen (Windham, Maine) into the lower left corner to make it a 2-1 game with 33:59 left to play.

Looking to provide her team with some breathing room, Daigle nearly netted the Monks' third marker off a Desiree Parent (Westborough, Mass.) pass, but her kick was stopped by Dodge, who made a spectacular diving save to her right to deny the junior sniper. Unfortunately, the diving bid left the net wide open for LeBlanc, who cleaned up the rebound and placed a shot into the upper left corner to lift the Royal Blue to a two-goal lead.

University of Saint Joseph held a 14-8 shots advantage – including a 8-4 margin in the second half – and attempted six corner kicks, all in the second frame, to the Monks' two corner bids in a losing effort.

Lorenzen made six saves for Saint Joseph's while Dodge made one stop in goal for the Blue Jays.

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 4-2-2 in the history of the series with University of Saint Joseph. The Monks suffered a 2-0 loss at the hands of the Blue Jays last fall.

Saint Joseph's returns to action tomorrow when the side hosts University of Maine-Presque Isle in a 1:00 PM non-conference contest.

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.