FRANKLIN, Mass. – Graduate attacker Lydia Dexter (Oakland, Maine) netted five goals with two assists to help Saint Joseph's College (5-2, 3-0 GNAC) break free from a 7-7 stalemate and defeat Dean College (3-2, 3-1 GNAC), 20-8, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's lacrosse contest on Wednesday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

After a sluggish start the Monks trailed by a 4-3 score midway through the first quarter but headed into the second stanza with a 7-4 advantage after four different SJC players hit pay dirt during a six-minute spell.

The Bulldogs answered in kind by opening the second period with three unanswered tallies, including man-up markers from Haley Gaunt and Jazzy Sztyler-Magee, to knot the GNAC contest at 7-7 with 11:37 before the break.

Dexter then took over by netting three goals in a matter of five minutes and sophomore Shauna Clark (Oakland, Maine) scored a free position tally with 2:18 on the second quarter clock to lift the Monks to an 11-7 cushion heading into intermission.

As it turned out, the Monks' four-goal surge was part of a larger 13-0 run as six different players scored in the third and fourth frames to establish a 20-7 lead. Sophomore Mackenzie Siebert (Naples, Maine) capped the offensive outbreak with her third goal of the day with 6:36 remaining.

TEAM STATS:

Saint Joseph's held the lead in shots (42-27), shots on goal (37-20), ground balls (20-13), caused turnovers (11-8), and draw controls (19-13) in the conference victory.

THE KEEPERS:

SJC freshman starter Alexis Eldridge (Effingham, N.H.) made nine saves in 48:21 between the pipes to improve to 3-1 on the season while sophomore Morgan Wright (Chelmsford, Mass.) made three stops in 11:39 of work.

Dean netminder Allie Stockwell played well in goal for the hosts and made 17 saves with a pair of ground balls in the setback.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Dexter registered five goals, two assists, five ground balls, two draw controls, and a pair of caused turnovers
• Clark netted three goals with two assists and four draw controls
• Siebert contributed three goals and a pair of assists
• Junior Teegan Gilreath (Lowell, Mass.) scored three goals with an assist
• Junior Carson Battaglia (Gorham, Maine) posted two goals, four ground balls, five ground balls, and two caused turnovers
• Junior Bridget Collins (Milford, Conn.) tacked on a goal and two assists

LEADERS – DEAN COLLEGE:

• Sztyler-Magee netted three goals with an assist
• Gaunt added three goals on four shots
• Maire Brown contributed a goal and two assists with five draw controls, two ground balls, and a pair of caused turnovers

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is now 2-0 all-time versus Dean College.

NEXT!

The Monks will play at Emmanuel College on Saturday in a GNAC matchup slated to start at 12:00 PM.

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