STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (1-0) toppled Gordon College (2-1), 17-5, in what was the Monks' 2023 season-opener at the SJC Athletics Complex on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Due to the brisk temperatures, the teams agreed to play the game with a running clock and limited breaks, but the Monks wasted little time getting on the board as junior Carson Battaglia (Gorham, Maine) scored off a Brianna Paul (Brattleboro, Vt.) feed 1:05 into the game.

As it played out, Battaglia's goal was the first of nine unanswered tallies, including four-straight from grad student Lydia Dexter (Oakland, Maine) in a six-minute span. Freshman Celia Melanson (Waterford, Maine) netted her first collegiate goal on a free position shot with 1:36 remaining in the first frame while Battaglia and Dexter hit pay dirt with strikes in the closing 23 seconds of the quarter to lift the hosts to an 8-0 advantage.

Junior Bridget Collins (Milford, Conn.) capped the 9-0 run with her first goal of the year 1:28 into the second stanza. Gordon sophomore Hailey Beling (Cheshire, Conn.) and sophomore Mikayla Lecci (Yaphank, N.Y.) sandwiched a Battaglia tally to account for the 10-2 margin going into halftime.

Saint Joseph's proceeded to score seven-consecutive goals, including a pair apiece from junior Megan Mourmouras (Biddeford, Maine), Collins, and Dexter, to claim a 17-2 cushion with 10:26 left.

In the closing eight minutes, sophomore Kaitlyn Mini (Malden, Mass.) potted a pair of goals and Beling added a man-up marker to make up the 17-5 final score.

TEAM STATS:

Saint Joseph's held the lead in shots (32-12), shots on goal (29-11), ground balls (25-13), draw controls (19-3), and caused turnovers (8-5).

THE KEEPERS:

For the Monks, sophomore Morgan Wright (Chelmsford, Mass.) picked up the victory after making one save in a pair of shutout quarters (25:27) while freshman Alexis Eldridge (Effingham, N.H.) made five stops and allowed five tallies in 34:33 between the pipes.

For the Fighting Scots, sophomore Kayla Davison (Dracut, Mass.) allowed 13 goals and turned away 10 shots in 38:01 minutes while junior Sophea Zaskoda (Lansdale, Pa.) yielded four goals and made a pair of saves in 21:59 of play.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Dexter tallied seven goals with an assist, six ground balls, and a pair of draw controls
• Battaglia added three goals and an assist with eight draw controls and four ground balls
• Collins netted a hat trick with two assists
• Sophomore Shauna Clark (Oakland, Maine) tacked on a goal with two assists and a pair of draw controls
• Mourmouras netted two goals on four shots
• Junior Heather Rohr (Merrimack, N.H.) picked up two ground balls and six draw controls
• Junior Madison Scott (Cumberland, Maine) added four ground balls and four caused turnovers

LEADERS – GORDON:

• Mini and Beling scored two goals apiece
• Junior Abbie Zorrilla (Ephrata, Pa.) scooped up three ground balls

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 2-0 all-time versus Gordon College.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will host University of Southern Maine on Wednesday at 7:00 PM.

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