WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – University of Saint Joseph (7-8, 4-5 GNAC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (4-12, 2-7 GNAC), 8-3, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's lacrosse match on Saturday evening.

Six Blue Jays scored on the night including sophomore attackman Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) who had a game-high six points (2 G, 4 A). Junior attackman Anthony Lupo (Wallingford, Conn.) added two goals for hosts (including the opening strike), while junior middie Noah Mocksfield (Colchester, Conn.) had a goal and an assist for two points on the night.

Saint Joseph came out on fire scoring six of the first seven goals, all six being assisted on. USJ's defense has been the story as of late, forcing offenses into mistakes and relying on the elevated play of junior goalkeeper and captain Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.), who once again controlled the cage with a game-high dozen denials. SJC could only muster three scores in total and was shutout in the second half.

The defense turned into offense for USJ as frustration kicked in for SJC, which committed several second-half penalties leading to continuous man-up opportunities for the hosts. USJ scored twice more in the second half to get the game's final score of 8-3.

GOALIE BREAKDOWN

SJC – Junior goalkeeper Brannon Gilbert (Gray, Maine) took the loss (3-9), allowing seven goals on 14 shots in 45 minutes between the pipes. Freshman stopper Ryan Boutiette (Burrillville, R.I.) allowed one goal in 15 minutes of action in the fourth period.

USJ – McCann moved to 6-7 and had a game-high 12 saves, allowing just three goals in a full 60 minutes in the cage.

BATTLE AT THE 'X'

Faceoffs were practically split down the middle, as SJC held a 7-6 advantage overall. Sophomore faceoff Samuel Barbetti (Guilford, Conn.) was the high-man for Saint Joseph with five of 11 successful faceoffs.

UP NEXT

The Monks close out the regular season with a conference game at Anna Maria College on Tuesday at 6:00 PM.

COURTESY OF USJ SPORTS INFORMATION