PORTLAND, ME – Salem State University (1-0) defeated Saint Joseph's (1-1), 11-5, in non-conference men's lacrosse action at Deering Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Senior goalkeeper Christopher Driscoll (Saco, Maine) recorded 19 saves in the losing effort.

The Vikings were dominant early, as the visitors netted six of the game's first seven goals en route to claiming a 7-2 advantage heading into intermission. The Monks were unable to overcome the deficit but showed signs of life late in the contest with three goals in the fourth quarter to account for the 11-5 final.

For the Monks, sophomore attackman Andrew Sullivan (Rochester, N.H.) tallied a pair of goals, sophomore midfielder Andrew Hamill (Wolfeboro, N.H.) added a goal and two assists and Max Meserve (Kennebunk, Maine) and Austin Watts (Rochester, N.H.) contributed a goal apiece in the losing effort.

Salem State junior attackman A.J. Robertson (Ipswich, Mass.) scored a game-high five goals, including three in the first 20 minutes of play, and added an assist and freshman Ben Melaugh (Billerica, Mass.) produced two goals and two assists with a game-best seven ground balls in the Vikings' victory. Sophomore midfielder Matt Whited (Falmouth, Mass.) scored twice and junior Frank Lento (Salem, Mass.) added a pair of assists in the season-opening triumph for the visitors.

Vikings freshman keeper Dylan Svenson (Billerica, Mass.) made 11 saves with three goals allowed in 52:40 of play between the pipes while first-year netminder Dominic Rovetto (Newbury, Mass.) yielded two markers in 7:20 of mop-up duty for Salem State.

Salem State held advantages in shots (50-25), shots on goal (30-16), ground balls (52-29) and caused turnovers (20-8) in the non-conference victory.

With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 0-6 in the history of the series with Salem State University.

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 350-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.