NASHUA, NH – Saint Joseph's (8-6, 7-1 GNAC) defeated Rivier University (6-7, 4-4 GNAC), 14-11 in overtime, in GNAC women's lacrosse action on Sunday afternoon. Senior Cassie Diplock (Augusta, Maine) netted seven goals and an assist with 12 ground balls in the thrilling victory.

In one of the most closely contested games in recent memory, neither team held more than a one-goal lead until Diplock lifted the Monks to a 13-11 advantage 1:40 into overtime.

The Monks led 10-9 after freshman Kelsey Dumond (Lewiston, Maine) scored off a Macy Pagurko (Augusta, Maine) pass with 8:21 remaining in regulation, but the Raiders responded with goals from Jessica Amaral and Rebecca Wickens to provide the hosts with an 11-10 edge with 1:19 left to play.

With time waning, Diplock potted the Monks' 11th goal of the afternoon – off a Meghan Williams (Greenland, N.H./St. Thomas Aquinas) feed – with 36 seconds on the clock, a play that forced a six-minute overtime period.

Sophomore Kat Gadbois (Scarborough, Maine) opened extra play with an unassisted score 31 seconds into overtime. Diplock scored the aforementioned marker 1:09 later and junior Lizzie Calnan (Westport, Mass.) iced the contest with a tally off an Anneka Adame (San Diego, Calif.) dish with 3:08 remaining in the OT frame.

For the Monks, Gadbois tallied two goals and an assist with three ground balls while Pagurko and Williams added a goal and an assist apiece in the conference triumph. Haley Nason (Saco, Maine) started in goal and made three saves in 30 minutes of play while Elizabeth Giacchino (Melrose, Mass.) picked up the victory after posting three stops in 36 minutes between the pipes.

For Rivier, Wickens and Amaral netted four goals apiece while keeper Danielle Moran made 17 saves in the losing effort.

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 3-2 in the history of the series with Rivier University.

Saint Joseph's closes out the regular season with a pair of conference contests, starting with a game at Anna Maria College at 4:30 PM on Tuesday. The Monks host Simmons College at Deering Memorial Stadium at 4:00 PM on Saturday.

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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.