STANDISH, ME - St. Joe's (15-5, 5-1 NAC) used two
second-half goals to defeat Worcester State (11-10, 6-5 LEC) in an
ECAC Tournament Quarterfinal match-up on Wednesday afternoon at
Lakeside Field. Courtney Rague
'11 (Old Orchard Beach, ME) netted the game-winning goal in the
53rd minute for the Lady Monks.
Saint Joseph's, the #4 seed in the seven-team tourney, will travel
to Beverly, MA on Saturday to square off against top-seeded
Endicott College (16-5, 8-0 TCCC), at 1:00 PM. With the loss, #5
seed Worcester State's season comes to a close.
With the victory, the 2008 Lady Monks break the record for wins in
a season with 15. The previous mark was held by the '07 squad,
which posted a 14-7 record.
In a first half dominated by midfield jockeying, the Lancers
notched the first scoring opportunity when Genelle Blais ‘09
(Marlboro, MA) steered a shot on net that was turned away by a
Meaghan Johnson ‘12
(Portland, ME/Cheverus) kick save at close range.
Fifteen minutes later, Lady Monks leading scorer
Kayla Nowell ‘11 (Bridgton,
ME), sprung on a short breakaway by a Rague pass,
just missed the left corner of the net with a quick wrist shot.
Alyssa Dunn ‘11 (Standish,
ME) blasted a shot from the top of the circle with thirty seconds
remaining in the first that sailed wide to cap the SJC scoring
opportunities in the half.
The scoreless opening stanza yielded nine total shots - seven by
the host and a pair by the visitors.
The St. Joe's offense came to life in the second half, outshooting
Worcester 15-1 with 12 of those shots finding Lancers keeper Erin
MacDonald ‘09 (Dedham, MA).
Nowell notched another outstanding scoring
opportunity eight minutes into the second period, only to be turned
away by MacDonald, who preserved her shutout with a point blank
save.
The Lady Monks finally solved the WSC keeper, who came into the
contest with the ninth-best save percentage (.853) in the country,
in the 53rd minute to take a 1-0 lead. Sarah
Bartell ‘12 (Exeter, NH) broke free on the
right side from the Worcester State defenders and MacDonald, who
came out of net to challenge, dove at Bartell's
feet. The freshman maintained possession and proceeded to pass to
the wide-open Rague, who sent the ball into the
open net to provide the home team with a one-goal advantage.
St. Joe's continued to pepper the WSC net with shots and
Nowell, who recorded seven shots on goal in the
win, scored her team-high 21st goal of the year to give the Lady
Monks some breathing room. After a scramble in front of MacDonald,
the sophomore standout uncovered the ball and flipped it into the
net from close range to extend the Royal Blue lead to 2-0 and cap
the game scoring.
Overall, Saint Joseph's outshot Worcester State 22-3 and held a
17-4 advantage in penalty corners. SJC keeper
Meaghan Johnson made three saves
in goal to add to her program-record total of shutouts in a season,
which now stands at five. Erin MacDonald was solid in net, making
16 stops for the visitors in the loss.
The ECAC administers more than 100 championships for 37 men's
and women's sports. The ECAC also serves as the primary league for
Division III men's hockey (3), Division III women's hockey (2), and
Division I men's lacrosse. In addition, the ECAC provides
leadership assistance for numerous affiliate organizations
including the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes in
America (IC4A), Intercollegiate Fencing Association (IFA), Eastern
Intercollegiate Gymnastics League (EIGL), Eastern Intercollegiate
Wrestling Association (EIWA), Eastern Association of Rowing
Colleges (EARC), Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges
(EAWRC), Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA),ECAC Hockey
League (ECACHL), and Eastern College Athletic Conference Sports
Information Directors Association (ECAC-SIDA).
Field Hockey Game Summary (Final)
2008 St. Joseph's College Field Hockey
Worcester State vs St. Joseph's (Me.) (Nov 12, 2008 at Standish,
ME)
Worcester State (11-10) vs. St. Joseph's (Me.) (15-5)
Date: Nov 12, 2008 Attendance: 100
Weather: Cold
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
Worcester State..... 0 0 - 0
St. Joseph's (Me.).. 0 2 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 52:27 SJMFH Courtney Rague (4) (Sarah Bartell) - break away
2. 60:40 SJMFH Kayla Nowell (21) (unassisted)
Shots: Worcester State 3, St. Joseph's (Me.) 22
Saves: Worcester State 17 (Erin MacDonald 16; TEAM 1), St.
Joseph's
(Me.) 3 (Meaghan Johnson 3)