STANDISH, ME - Paul Robins '11 (Cornwall, England) scored the game-winning goal 8:37 into the first overtime period to propel the Monks (8-6-1, 5-2 GNAC) past the Huskies of Southern Maine (6-7-2, 2-2-1 LEC) in a non-conference men's soccer match at Westerlea Way Field on Wednesday afternoon.

The game-clincher was a bullet from the center of the field and 23 yards away from the net. Robins unleashed a sinking liner to the top right corner, just past the reach of USM keeper David Kreps '11 (Agawam, MA), to provide the hosts with the program's first victory over Southern Maine since October 10^th, 2002. USM trumped the Monks five times, with one tie, during the seven-year span.

The fast-paced contest featured 37 total shots - 22 by St. Joe's and 17 by USM - and plenty of excellent scoring chances. The opposing keepers, Will Pike '10 (Gorham, ME) for the Monks and Kreps for the Huskies, accounted for well over a handful of game-saving stops between the pipes. Kreps made 10 saves, many of the highlight-reel quality, and Pike made four stops to earn the shutout.

Southern Maine nearly took a 1-0 lead in the waning seconds of the first half. With 15 seconds left in the stanza, David Harvey '11 (Scarborough, ME) placed a corner kick in the box as Pike left the goalmouth to grab the ball, but it sailed beyond his reach to USM midfielder Nick Johnson '11 (South Portland, ME),  who fired on net, but his bid was blocked by traffic in front. As the clock ticked away, the loose ball trickled to the feet of Steve May '10 (Brunswick, ME), who kicked the ball to the middle of the net, but Robins was in place to make perhaps the stop of the afternoon and keep the game scoreless heading into the half.

USM dominated the offensive end in the first half, outshooting the Monks by a 10-5 margin. The remainder of the match played out much differently, however, as St. Joe's went on to gain a 17-5 advantage in shots in the second half and overtime period and Pike made just one save for the rest of the unseasonably warm afternoon.

The opportunities for St. Joe's to break the stalemate came early and often in the second half, as Jack LaFreniere '13 (Alton, NH) narrowly missed on a header bid off a Tim Davison '12 (Danvers, MA) corner kick in the 50^th minute of play. Robins had some space, but his 54^th minute blast sailed high of the goal and three minutes later the junior's diving kick from inside the 18 to the left corner was denied by a diving Kreps. Andre Cushing '10 (Hampden, ME) blasted a header just wide of the net in the 71^st minute and a boot from Greg Cavanaugh '10 (Haverhill, MA) at the 72:32 mark clanged off the crossbar.

At the 80:54 mark, Huskies midfielder Pete McHugh '10 (Scarborough, ME) dangled through the SJC defense and let loose a blast from about the 18, but the attempt sailed high of the goal.

After a short breather, Mike Sanfilippo '12 (Walpole, MA) re-entered the game and quickly got into the action. The junior midfielder found space to the left of the USM goal and was delivered the ball with only Kreps to beat, but his shot sailed high and right of the net. LaFreniere had another header attempt in the 88^th minute, but Kreps was up to the challenge again and came down with the save as this contest required extra play for a winner to be determined.

The Monks maintained possession for most of the overtime period, as the Royal Blue recorded six shots while the Huskies were unable to make an attempt.

The Robins overtime tally was his fourth of the season and 14^th of his career. LaFreniere continued his high level of play as a first-year player and recorded five shots, with three on target, in the triumph.

Remarkably, the Monks have now played in 10 straight games in which one of the teams posted a goose egg on the scoreboard.

Saint Joseph's will play at Emmanuel (3-11-1, 1-5-1 GNAC) on Saturday at noon in a conference contest before heading to Amherst College to take on the regionally-ranked Lord Jeffs at 2:30 PM.

Southern Maine will play at Rhode Island College on Saturday at 1:00 PM in a Little East Conference contest.

 Southern Me. (6-7-2) vs. St. Joseph's (Me.) (9-6-1)
Date: Oct 21, 2009  Attendance: 175
Weather: Sunny, Warm

Goals by period       1  2 OT  Tot
----------------------------------
Southern Me.........  0  0  0 -  0
St. Joseph's (Me.)..  0  0  1 -  1

SCORING SUMMARY:
  1.  98:37 SJMMS Paul Robins (unassisted)

Shots: Southern Me. 15, St. Joseph's (Me.) 22
Saves: Southern Me. 10 (David Kreps 10), St. Joseph's (Me.) 4 (Will
Pike 4)