LEICESTER, MA – Saint Joseph's College (6-7, 5-1 GNAC) defeated Becker College (4-9, 3-4 GNAC), 16-8, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's lacrosse contest on Wednesday evening.

For Saint Joseph's, sophomore attacker Brandon Boutin (Hackettstown, N.J.) scored four goals, freshman attacker Austin Watts (Westbrook, Maine) contributed three goals and three assists, while junior midfielder Jake Ricciardi (Sharon, Mass.), sophomore Andrew Sullivan (Rochester, N.H.) and sophomore midfielder Colby Main (Jericho, Vt.) each scored twice. Senior goalie Christopher Driscoll (Saco, Maine) earned the win, recording 13 saves on the evening.

For Becker, senior attacker Jeff Petersen (Syracuse, N.Y.) netted a hat trick with three goals while junior midfielder John DeAngelis (Swampscott, Mass.) contributed a pair of markers. Senior goalie Michael Munoz (Avon, Conn.) tallied nine saves in a losing effort.

The balanced Saint Joseph's scoring attack kept Becker off-balance for most of the first half. The Monks scored three goals before the Hawks scored their first and took a commanding 8-1 lead before the hosts tallied their second goal late in the second quarter. The Hawks finally put consecutive goals together with back-to-back strikes from DeAngelis and Petersen, the second coming with 2:57 remaining in the half. But the Monks responded with two goals of their own before the break, heading into halftime with a 10-3 lead.

As the rains started coming down in the second half, momentum seemed to swing back and forth even as the game slowed down. Sullivan scored with 10:06 left in the third, but Becker senior midfielder Joe Ignagni (Kingston, Mass.) answered a few minutes later. Watts and junior midfielder Andrew Hamill (Wolfeboro, N.H.) soon pushed the visitors' lead to nine at 13-4, while the Hawks countered with Petersen potting his third goal and Becker sophomore David Deschenes (Gales Ferry, Conn.) following up at 3:28. The third finished with the teams scoring three goals apiece, but Becker was unable to make any headway.

The Hawks return to GNAC action on Saturday, April 13 when they host Emmanuel College at 1:00 p.m. The Monks also continue GNAC play on Saturday when they travel to Daniel Webster College for a 1:00 p.m. tilt with the Eagles. 

COURTESY OF BECKER 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 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.