STANDISH, Maine – #3 Saint Joseph's College (13-4, 9-2 GNAC) will host #6 Lasell University (7-10, 6-5 GNAC) in a 2021 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Field Hockey Tournament Quarterfinal at 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 30th.

OVERVIEW:

Saturday's victor advances to the semifinal round of the GNAC Tournament and will face the winner of the #2 Johnson & Wales University / Rivier University quarterfinal.

In other first round action on Saturday, top-seeded Colby-Sawyer College hosts #8 Anna Maria College and #4 Simmons University faces off against #5 Elms College.

The winner of the GNAC Championship game, set to be played on Saturday, November 6th, earns an automatic berth into the 2018 NCAA DIII Women's Soccer Championship, which begins on November 10th.

FACTS & FIGURES:

Saint Joseph's:

• Saint Joseph's saw a 25-game regular season winning streak versus GNAC opponents come to an end with a 2-1 setback at the hands of Simmons University on October 20th; previously, the last loss to a conference opponent was a 2-1 defeat to Lasell on October 7th, 2017
• Entering the playoffs, St. Joe's leads the conference in shots (443), shots on goal (277), shots per game (26.1), assists (42), penalty corners (290), and goals against average (1.12)
• The Monks average 3.9 goals on 26.1 shots per game while allowing 1.12 goals per contest
• Saint Joseph's is 7-1 at the SJC Athletics Complex this fall with the lone loss being the aforementioned Simmons setback

Lasell:

• Lasell leads the GNAC in defensive saves (14) and ranks fifth in goals (44), shots (244), and penalty corners (120)
• The Lasers are 3-5 on the road this fall and have not won an away game since posting a 2-1 triumph at Anna Maria College on October 6th
• Lasell enters the tourney having lost four of the team's last five conference contests with a 10-0 win over Albertus Magnus College on October 20th being the Laser's only triumph during this span
• The Lasers average 2.6 goals on 14.4 shots per game while yielding 2.24 goals per tilt

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Saint Joseph's:

• Senior forward Emma Rutledge (Alfred, Maine) leads the Monks in goals (19), assists (10), points (48), shots (84), shots on goal (64), and game-winning goals (4) and currently ranks second in the GNAC in goals, assists, points, and GWG; the senior standout also ranks among the NCAA DIII active leaders in points (135, 8th) and goals (49, 9th)
• Junior forward Megan Quirion (Oakland, Maine) is second on the team in goals (10) and points (20)
• Senior forward Olivia Esposito (North Reading, Mass.) has enjoyed a breakout season with seven goals and five assists for 19 points
• Freshman forward Abbie Jacques (Mount Vernon, Maine) has netted 16 points with seven goals and two assists this fall

Lasell:

• Junior forward Sheridan Blaha (Waltham, Mass.) is the Lasers' leader in goals (10), assists (5), points (25), shots (56), shots on goal (30), and game-winners (2)
• Sophomore forward Lily Stark (Saco, Maine) has registered 17 points with seven goals and three assists
• Junior defender Sage Dodier (Amesbury, Mass.) has scored five goals with three assists for 13 points
• Junior defender Kaylie Gonya (Uxbridge, Mass.) has made five defensive saves

KEEPER COMPARISON:

Saint Joseph's first-year keeper Kassidy Collins (Gardiner, Maine) leads the conference in goals against average (1.14) and fewest goals allowed (12) and sports a .676 save percentage with 25 saves in 630 minutes of play.

Lasell freshman netminder Courtney Tello (Nashua, N.H.) has posted a 2.13 goals against average with three shutouts and a 7-8 record as a first-year starter; she owns a .794 save percentage with 139 saves and 36 goals allowed in 1,013 minutes and leads the conference in saves and minutes played.

ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:

Saint Joseph's Head Coach Rupert Lewis, in his 17th season as the Monks' skipper, is 206-97 (.680) with a 46-5 (.902) record in GNAC play over the last eight seasons. Under his watch the Monks have won four-consecutive GNAC Championships (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) with four NCAA Tournament appearances. With a 3-0 win over Lasell on October 2nd, Lewis notched his 200th career victory. He is one of just 13 active NCAA DIII Field Hockey coaches in New England to hit the plateau.

Caitlin Connolly, now in her 12th season as the head coach of the Lasell field hockey team, owns a 101-108 (.483) career record and was selected as the 2015 and 2017 GNAC Coach of the Year.  On top of her impressive field hockey success, she is also the head coach of Lasell women's lacrosse team and guided the Lasers to GNAC Championships in 2013 and 2016.

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

Saint Joseph's blanked Lasell, 3-0, at the SJC Athletics Complex on Saturday, October 2nd and tallied 40 shots, 28 shots on goal, and 25 penalty corners in the victory. The Lasers did not attempt a shot or a corner in the losing bid.

Rutledge, Jacques, and Meghan Hill (Brookline, N.H.) scored for the Monks and Tello turned away 23 shots for the Lasers.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is 21-4 all-time versus Lasell University and has defeated the Lasers in six-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2017 campaign. These two teams have met in each of the last three GNAC Championship games with the Monks coming out on top on all three occasions.

POSTSEASON HISTORY:

The Monks, winners of the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 conference crowns, have never missed the postseason in 13 years as a member of a conference and will be playing in the conference championship game for the ninth time in the last 12 years on Saturday. Overall, St. Joe's is 16-8 in tournament play.

The Lasers are 4-12 in conference tournament play since 2008 with all four triumphs coming in the last five seasons. The two programs – former North Atlantic Conference (NAC) foes – have met five times in the postseason with the Monks prevailing in all five meetings: a 4-1 win in a 2013 NAC quarterfinal, a 3-1 triumph in a 2016 GNAC semifinal, and GNAC Championship wins in each of the last three seasons.