STANDISH, ME – Second-seeded Saint Joseph's College (13-3, 7-2 NAC) will host #7 Lasell College (10-9, 4-5 NAC) in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Field Hockey Tournament Quarterfinal at 2:00 PM on Saturday at Mercy Field.

The last time we met:

The Lasers handed the Monks one of their two conference losses with a 2-1 victory over Saint Joseph's in Newton, Massachusetts on October 9th. Senior forward Samantha Smithers (Yarmouth, Mass.) and freshman Cristina Wilson (Wilmington, Mass.) scored for the Lasers while sophomore Ashley Gleason (Suffield, Conn.) posted a pair of assists in the upset triumph. Senior midfielder Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) netted the Monks' only marker off a Rachelle Messuri (Atkinson, N.H.) pass.

Lasell netminder Taylor Sheehan (Brewster, Mass.) made nine saves to preserve the victory for the Lasers while SJC keeper Emma Astbury (Bridgewater, Vt.) did not record a stop in a losing effort. Saint Joseph's owned sizeable advantages in shots (16-3) and penalty corners (12-5) in the setback.

What have you done lately?

The loss to the Lasers seemed to spark the Monks, as the Royal Blue proceeded to rattle off five-consecutive victories without allowing a goal. Unfortunately, the streak came to an abrupt halt in the Monks' season finale, when perennial Little East Conference contender Plymouth State College edged St. Joe's, 4-3, in overtime on October 29th.

Prior to the loss to the Panthers, the Monks had not allowed a goal at home all season and the loss to Plymouth State was the team's first at home since September 25th, 2012.

Lasell enters tournament play having lost consecutive conference contests, as the Lasers suffered a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Maine-Farmington on October 26th and endured a 3-2 loss to Thomas College the very next day. Prior to the two-game skid, the Lasers enjoyed a three-game win streak with shutout wins over Framingham State, Colby-Sawyer College and Rivier University.

Historically speaking:

Saint Joseph's owns an 11-3 record in the history of the matchup with Lasell College and had defeated the Lasers in seven-consecutive meetings prior to the October 9th setback. St. Joe's outscored Lasell by a 25-3 margin, collectively, in the seven-game stretch that spanned from 2006-12.

Who to watch:

Messuri leads the Monks' balanced scoring attack in assists (7) and points (21) and is second on the team in goals (7) through 16 contests. Junior transfer Effie Drew (Portland, Maine) paces the Royal Blue with eight goals and has 19 total points while Hendrix has produced 14 points (5G, 4A) and freshman Kelsey Dumond (Lewiston, Maine) has contributed in a meaningful way with six goals and 13 points as a rookie.

Astbury has proven to be one of the top goalkeepers in the region and leads the NAC in goals against average (0.77), fewest goals allowed (12) and shutouts (8) as a freshman.

Sophomore forward Nikita Soares (Westport, Mass.) has emerged as one of the top scorers in the conference and leads the Lasers in goals (10) and total points (25) this fall. Smithers ranks second on the Lasell squad with eight goals while Gleason and Wilson have netted five markers apiece this season.

Sheehan has enjoyed a solid season with a 1.95 goals against average and six shutouts to go with a .793 save percentage and 146 saves over 1362 minutes in the cage for Lasell.