STANDISH, ME – An 82nd-minute marker by Jessica Needham '11 (East Bridgewater, MA) lifted Saint Joseph's (3-0, 1-0 GNAC) past GNAC rival Emerson College (0-4, 0-1), 2-1, in the 2010 conference-opener for both sides at Westerlea Way Field on Saturday afternoon.
Needham, who broke the SJC all-time record for game-winning scores with the goal, won the scuffle for a loose ball at the top of the 18 and beat Lions keeper Jill Dean '14 (Lynn, MA) with a booming kick. Needham breaks the former mark held by Megan Willette, who tallied nine game-winning goals in two seasons at St. Joe's.
The senior forward also assisted on the game-tying tally, which was scored by Ashley Beaulieu '14 (Durham, ME) in the 58th minute.
After a scoreless opening frame, Lindsay D'Andrea '11 (Medford, NJ) staked the Lions to a 1-0 lead with a goal off a corner kick just 44 seconds into the second stanza. Prior to the goal allowed, SJC netminder Jackie Lorenzen '14 (Windham, ME), who made six saves in the win, had not allowed a tally in her first 225:44 minutes of NCAA play.
Thirteen minutes later, Beaulieu knotted the match at one apiece when the freshman took a crossing pass from Needham finished the play with a kick past Dean.
Several solid opportunities by both teams ensued over the next 14 minutes, but the score remained at a deadlock and the game seemed destined for overtime. But Needham, denied on a penalty kick in the eighth minute and by the crossbar in the 71st, wasn't planning on leaving the pitch empty-handed on this day. After scoring goals in both of the Monks' first two matches, she proceeded to make it a three-game streak with the clincher and was full of emotion as she celebrated with the crowd after the score.
The Lions were awarded a corner kick in the waning seconds, but an attempt by Meghan Foehl '12 (Cheshire, CT) failed to yield a shot for the visitors.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 4-0-1 all-time against Emerson. Surprisingly, the 3-0 start for St. Joe's is just the third of its kind in program history.
Both teams return to action on Wednesday with conference contests, as Saint Joseph's will travel to Pine Manor for a 4:00 PM start and Emerson will play at Emmanuel College at 7:00 PM.
