NEWTON, MA – Lasell College (7-5, 2-1 NAC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (8-2, 3-2 NAC), 2-1, in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) field hockey action on Wednesday afternoon. Senior midfielder Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) scored the Monks' lone goal in the conference contest.

Despite holding a 16-2 advantage in shots, including a 10-2 lead in shots on goal, the Monks were unable to sneak more than one attempt past Lasell goalkeeper Taylor Sheehan (Bridgewater, Mass.), who recorded nine saves for the hosts. Saint Joseph's also owned a decided 12-5 advantage in penalty corners in a losing effort.

All three goals occurred in the second half, beginning with a Lasell strike at the 49-minute mark, when a Lasell transition opportunity saw Ashley Gleason (Suffield, Conn.) find space behind the defense, feeding Samantha Smithers (Yarmouth, Mass.) for the game's first goal.

The Monks answered just 48 seconds later as the Royal Blue attacked right away after the restart, pushing up field and winning a penalty corner. Carley Denis (Lewiston, Maine) fed Rachelle Messuri (Atkinson, N.H.) on the corner, who sent it along to Hendrix and the senior midfielder fired it into the cage to even the score at 1-1.

Lasell went back in front in the 60th minute when Gleason again set up a teammate, this time finding Cristina Wilson (Wilmington, Mass.) in front of the net and the sophomore found the back of the cage to give the Lasers a 2-1 lead.

The Monks had four shots and a pair of penalty corners over the final ten minutes of action, but were unable to capitalize as Lasell claimed the victory.

With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 11-3 in the history of the series with Lasell College. Prior to this afternoon, the Monks had defeated the Lasers in seven consecutive meetings dating back to the 2006 campaign. St. Joe's bested Lasell by a 5-0 margin last fall.

Saint Joseph's will host NAC-rival Thomas College on Saturday October 12th at 12:00 PM while Lasell is set to host Husson University at 1:00 PM on Saturday.

THANKS IN LARGE PART TO LASELL COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.