WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Saint Joseph's College (7-5-2, 4-1-2 GNAC) and University of Saint Joseph (5-6-1, 3-3-1 GNAC) dueled to a 2-2 tie in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's soccer action on Saturday afternoon.

THE LEAD

The conference rivals essentially swapped scores, including an early marker for the Blue Jays and an 89th-minute tally by the Monks. USJ sophomore Sarah Palko (Southington, Conn.) scored on the first shot of the game, taken at the 3:22 mark and St. Joe's managed to knot the contest when junior captain Sarah Comtois (Lowell, Mass.) netted her sixth goal of the year in the 66th minute of play.

Freshman Olivia Norton (Berlin, Conn.) lifted the hosts to a 2-1 cushion with her first collegiate tally, netted at the 80:57 mark, before SJC sophomore Haley DaGraca (Saco, Maine) scored her GNAC-leading 12th goal of the season at the 88:04 mark.

The Monks outshot the Blue Jays by a 6-2 margin in 20 minutes of overtime play, but could not punch in the deciding marker as USJ keeper Megan Ricci talled 13 saves to help preserve the stalemate.

TEAM STATS

Saint Joseph's held a daunting 22-9 lead in shots with a 16-4 shots on goal advantage while University of Saint Joseph posted a 4-3 edge in corner kicks on the afternoon.

NOTABLES

• Sophomore Colleen Sheehan (Medway, Mass.) led all players with eight shots – including four on target
• Junior keeper Brooke Troup (East Bridgewater, Mass.) made a pair of saves
• Junior captain Emily DeLuca (Gorham, Maine) assisted on both of the SJC goals

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

With the result, Saint Joseph's is now 5-3-3 in the history of the series with University of Saint Joseph, a team the Monks have not defeated on their home turf since 2008.

NEXT!

Both programs will host GNAC opponents on Monday, when Saint Joseph's welcomes Anna Maria College to Standish and University of Saint Joseph takes on in-state rival Albertus Magnus College. Both matches are slated to begin at 1:00 PM.

#GOMONKS

Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram!

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 474-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.