PAXTON, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (3-0, 1-0 GNAC) scored four goals in fewer than eight minutes late in the second half en route to toppling Anna Maria College (1-1, 0-1 GNAC), 5-0, in what was the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) field hockey opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon.

THE LEAD

Senior Kayla Veilleux (Sabattus, Maine) scored off an Alexandria Belaire (Greene, Maine) assist in the fifth minute to lift the Monks to an early edge, but the 1-0 lead remained until the 62nd minute, when senior Arianna Kahler (Lisbon Falls, Maine) hit pay dirt on a penalty stroke to kick off a four-goal scoring spree over the closing eight minutes.

Senior Kayla Kelly (York, Maine), junior Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine), and Belaire netted a goal apiece to account for the 5-0 final.

THE KEEPERS

Saint Joseph's senior Megan Baker (Gorham, Maine) made three saves to notch her 41st win, and 22nd shutout, of her career. Anna Maria employed a pair of netminders in the setback, as freshman Nikki Streete (San Jose, Calif.) recorded 16 saves over 63:33 minutes and freshman Cassandra Micklesavage (Pottstown, Pa.) turned away three shots in 6:27 of relief duty.

TEAM STATS

Saint Joseph's held considerable advantages in shots (38-5), shots on goal (27-3), and penalty corners (21-6) in the lopsided victory.

NOTEWORTHY

• Belaire enjoyed a career day with a goal and three assists for five total points
• Freshman Emma Rutledge (Alfred, Maine) tallied seven shots, all on goal, in the victory
• Anna Maria junior defender Meghan Gillis (Brockton, Mass.) posted a pair of defensive saves in the losing bid
• With the win, Saint Joseph's is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2013 and sixth time in program history overall
• The Monks have totaled 15 goals through the first three contests, the most the team has scored in the opening three games since the 2009 team scored 19 in wins over Bay Path, Farleigh-Dickinson, and University of New England

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

With the victory, Saint Joseph's is now 15-3 all-time versus Anna Maria College. The Monks have defeated the AMCATS in five consecutive meetings dating back to the 2015 season.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will host Gordon College in a non-conference contest Monday at 4:00 PM. Anna Maria plays at Clark University at 7:00 PM on Tuesday.

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