STANDISH, Maine – #1 Saint Joseph's College (17-0, 13-0 GNAC) will host #8 Elms College (7-7, 6-7 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament Quarterfinal game at 2:00 PM on Saturday.
OVERVIEW:
Quarterfinals - Saturday, April 30
#8 Elms at #1 Saint Joseph's Maine - 2:00 PM
#5 Emmanuel at #4 Norwich - 5:30 PM*
#6 Colby-Sawyer at #3 Johnson & Wales - 12:00 PM
#7 Lasell at #2 Simmons - 1:00 PM
* -- Game to follow NU Commencement programming
Semifinals- Tuesday, May 3
1/8 winner vs 4/5 winner
3/6 winner vs 2/7 winner
Championship - Saturday, May 7
final at highest remaining seed
FACTS & FIGURES:
Saint Joseph's:
- One of just five NCAA DIII Women's Lacrosse teams with an unblemished record (through 4/28), Saint Joseph's leads the conference in goals (302), assists (146), goals per game (17.76), shots (629), draw controls (285), fewest goals allowed (94), and goals against average (5.57)
- Out of 283 NCAA DIII teams, St. Joe's is ranked fifth in scoring defense (5.57), sixth in average winning margin (12.24) and ninth in scoring offense
- Including the truncated 2021 campaign, the Monks have won 12-consecutive home games
Elms College:
- The Blazers enter the postseason ranked first in the GNAC in fewest turnovers (221) and goalkeeper save percentage (55.6%) and fourth in saves (194)
- Elms sported a 3-5 record – all conference games – during the month of April and capped the regular season on Tuesday with a 15-6 victory at Regis College
- The Blazers have a better record on the road (5-3) than at home (2-4) this spring
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Saint Joseph's:
- Graduate student Lydia Dexter (Oakland, Maine) is enjoying the finest season ever recorded by an SJC women's lacrosse player; as of April 28th, she leads the entire NCAA – all three divisions – with 141 points and ranks fourth in DIII with 69 assists
- Sophomore Carson Battaglia (Gorham, Maine) leads the conference in draw controls (124) and draw controls per game with 7.75 – an average that ranks 17th in NCAA DIII – with 40 points (33G, 7A) on the season
- Sophomore Bridget Collins (Milford, Conn.) has scored 42 goals with 53 total points while second-year Cailyn Wesley (Peabody, Mass.) has tallied 44 points (36G, 8A) and freshman Brianna Paul (Brattleboro, Vt.) has registered 40 points (27G, 13A)
Elms:
- Junior midfielder Anna-Elise Pikul (Belchertown, Mass.) leads the Blazers in points (56) and goals (43).
- Junior midfielder Taylor Borla (Southington, Conn.) is first on Elms for assists (16) and third for points (43).
- Sophomore attacker Elise Paier (West Springfield, Mass.) is second on the team in points (45) and second for goals (30).
KEEPER COMPARISON:
Saint Joseph's freshman Morgan Wright (Chelmsford, Mass.), who has started 13-consecutive games for the Monks, is currently second in NCAA DIII Women's Lacrosse in goals against average (5.24) and ranks second in the GNAC in wins (13) and fewest goals allowed (56).
Elms senior Emma Walsh (Dracut, Mass.) is first in the GNAC in save percentage (54.2%) and third in total saves (174). She has started in 13 of the Blazers' last 14 contests.
ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:
Saint Joseph's third-year Head Coach David Keenan is 27-3 (.900) overall with a 15-1 (.938) record in conference play as the Monks' skipper. Keenan led the Monks to an undefeated regular season and will be playing in the GNAC tournament for the first time under his leadership.
Elms Head Coach Quincy Wilkins is in her second year as the Blazers' coach and has registered a 9-8 career record (.607), including a 7-7 conference record in their first season of play in the GNAC.
THE LAST TIME WE MET (BOX):
Saint Joseph's defeated Elms College by a 20-8 score at the SJC Athletics Complex on Tuesday, April 12th. Dexter led the offensive attack with seven goals and three assists while Paul, Battaglia, and Collins added three goals in the triumph.
Wright made two saves in three quarters in goal and freshman Mackenzie Baston (Gray, Maine) logged 15 minutes of time in the cage. Saint Joseph's led in shots (39-13) and draw controls (17-12) in the victory.
For the Blazers, Pikul scored four goals and Borla added a pair of markers while Walsh had 12 saves on 30 shots in a losing effort.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
This spring's meeting between SJC and Elms was the first in the history of the institutions' women's lacrosse programs. A former member of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC), Elms is a first-year participant in the GNAC this year.
POSTSEASON HISTORY:
The Monks have appeared in the GNAC Tournament in 13 of 14 seasons and have advanced to the semifinal round on eight occasions. St. Joe's is seeking their first playoff win since 2017 when the Royal Blue topped Norwich University in the quarterfinal, 17-6.
Saturday's quarterfinal appearance will be the first GNAC Tournament berth for the Elms College women's lacrosse program.
