STANDISH, Maine – Junior Bridget Collins (Milford, Conn.) netted four goals to help lift #2 Saint Joseph's College (16-3) past #3 Simmons University (14-5), 11-5, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament Semifinal on a rainy Wednesday evening at the SJC Athletics Complex.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:

With the triumph, the Monks advance to the GNAC Championship game and will play at top-seeded Johnson & Wales University with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line on Saturday at 11:00 AM. The Wildcats defeated #4 Emmanuel College, 14-5, in other semifinal action earlier today.

For Simmons, the loss signals the end of the 2023 campaign.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Monks controlled the pace of play early and jumped out to a 3-0 lead after Lydia Dexter (Oakland, Maine), Collins, and Shauna Clark (Oakland, Maine) hit pay dirt in the opening eight minutes. Senior Sammi Hogan (Westborough, Mass.) put the Sharks on the board at the 4:31 mark, but the hosts claimed a 5-1 cushion on the heels of goals scored just 13 seconds apart from Carson Battaglia (Gorham, Maine) and Brianna Paul (Brattleboro, Vt.).

Leading 5-2 going into the second stanza, Dexter and Collins found the back of the net at the 13:48 and 11:47 marks, respectively. Simmons grad Abby Stoller (Wayland, Mass.) netted a man-down goal with 7:23 before the break, but St. Joe's answered with a Collins man-down marker 46 seconds later and Collins hit home on a Paul feed to cap the first half scoring with the Monks holding a 9-3 lead.

The fast paced first half transformed into a defensive battle after intermission, as the GNAC counterparts combined to score just four times in the closing 30 minutes. A rare man-up own goal lifted Saint Joseph's to a 10-3 lead with 7:32 left in the third quarter before Stoller pocketed her second tally of the night to make it a 10-4 game with 1:52 left in the penultimate period.

The defensive style continued in the fourth frame, as junior Teegan Gilreath (Lowell, Mass.) scored off a Clark feed at the 10:51 mark and the Monks held the Sharks off the board until senior Riley Campbell (Milford, Mass.) netted her 10th goal of the season with 1:05 remaining.

TEAM STATS:

Saint Joseph's held the lead in shots (30-19), shots on goal (23-11), and caused turnovers (18-12) while Simmons posted a 15-5 lead in draw controls and both teams picked up 35 ground balls.

THE KEEPERS:

Saint Joseph's split time in the cage, as freshman Alexis Eldridge (Effingham, N.H) made four saves and allowed three goals in the first half and sophomore Morgan Wright (Chelmsford, Mass.) yielded a pair of goals with two saves in the closing 30 minutes.

Simmons senior netminder Nicole Elliott (Wayne, N.J.) played very well in the loss with 13 saves, three ground balls, and a pair of caused turnovers in 57:34 between the pipes. Senior Katie Castle (North Waterboro, Maine) was untested in 2:26 minutes of relief duty.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Collins netted four goals on eight shots with four ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers
• Dexter tallied two goals, two assists, five ground balls, and two caused turnovers
• Battaglia scored a goal with an assist, four ground balls, and four caused turnovers
• Paul and Clark added a goal and an assist apiece
• Junior Heather Rohr (Merrimack, N.H.) picked up eight ground balls and three caused turnovers

LEADERS – SIMMONS:

• Stoller netted two goals with an assist
• Senior Riley Waskiuk (Rutland, Mass.) added seven ground balls, four draw controls, and three caused turnovers
• Hogan chipped in with a goal, six ground balls, and a pair of caused turnovers

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 10-4 all-time versus Simmons University and has now defeated the Sharks in four consecutive meetings for the first time in the history of the series.

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