PORTLAND, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (1-3) defeated Husson University (1-3), 9-2, in non-conference men's lacrosse action at Deering Memorial Stadium on Thursday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Monks broke a scoreless tie at the 7:18 mark of the first quarter when sophomore Michael Finn (Quincy, Mass.) netted his seventh goal of the season off a Shane Fors (Gales Ferry, Conn.) pass. Saint Joseph's struck twice, with goals from sophomore Tyler Retalic (Framingham, Mass.) and another from Finn, before Husson freshman Jacob Boothby (Kennebunk, Maine) bookended intermission with a pair of goals to make it a 3-2 contest with 14:21 left in the third frame.

St. Joe's responded with six unanswered tallies, including two goals – by Retalic and junior Matt Donnell (Watertown, Mass.) – just 26 seconds apart in the fourth quarter, to collect the team's first victory of the season.

The win is also the first for Head Coach Bill Cosentino, who was named as the Monks' skipper last fall after spending the last two years at Daniel Webster College.

THE KEEPERS:

Saint Joseph's junior goalie Connor Trainor (Franklin, Mass.) stopped 10 of the 12 shots he faced while collecting three ground balls in the triumph.

Husson sophomore Matt Martin (Litchfield, Maine) registered 17 saves and three ground balls in the losing effort.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Finn paced the SJC offense with four goals off 16 shots and added seven ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers
• Retalic scored twice with an assist and three ground balls
• Donnell added two goals and a pair of ground balls
• Junior Joe' O'Reilly (Suffern, N.Y.) was credited with a pair of assists and three ground balls
• Junior defender Liam Skinner (Irving, Texas) picked up eight ground balls with four caused turnovers
• Sophomore defender Raymond Emery (Abington, Mass.) added three ground balls and four caused turnovers
• Fors dealt an assist and won four of six face-off attempts

LEADERS – HUSSON:

• Boothby netted both of the Eagles' goals and picked up a pair of ground balls
• Sophomore LSM Chad Merrill (Sabattus, Maine) collected seven ground balls with two caused turnovers
• Freshman midfielder Blaine Miller (Bowdoinham, Maine) chipped in with six ground balls
• Sophomore midfielder Zach Glazier (Winthrop, Maine) added six ground balls
• Freshman midfielder Owen Richmond (Mason Township, Maine) won six of 13 face-off bids

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 5-4 in the history of the series with Husson University. The Monks have now defeated the Eagles in five-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2013 campaign.

NEXT!

Both teams return to play with home games this Saturday, when Saint Joseph's hosts Becker College and Husson faces conference-rival Green Mountain College. Both contests are slated to begin at 1:00 PM.

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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 474-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.