STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (5-7-0, 5-3-0 GNAC) picked up a crucial GNAC victory on Wednesday evening, blanking Emmanuel College (5-3-6, 3-3-3 GNAC) by a 2-0 score at the SJC Athletics Complex.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

After a scoreless first half highlighted by strong goalkeeping on both sides, the Monks broke through in the 53rd minute when freshman Mattheus Silva (Acton, Mass.) scored on a perfect Kyle Clairmont (Williston, Vt.) feed off a free kick to put the hosts ahead 1-0.

Just over 12 minutes later, junior Zander Haskell (Scarborough, Maine) doubled the advantage, belted a free kick from about 25 yards out to the top right corner of the net in the 65th minute to give the Monks the insurance goal they needed.

The SJC backline, anchored by seniors Joseph Perron (South Portland, Maine) and Griffin Forbes (Manchester, N.H.), locked down defensively as the Monks held off Emmanuel's late pressure.

TEAM STATS:

Saint Joseph's held the lead in shots (16-13) while both sides steered eight shots on goal and Emmanuel held a 7-0 lead in corner kicks.

THE KEEPERS:

Saint Joseph's senior Logan Davis (Naples, Maine) was outstanding, making eight saves to earn the shutout while his counterpart, Emmanuel freshman Owen Silva (Hopkinton, Mass.), tallied six saves in the loss.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's not only improves to 16-4-2 all-time versus Emmanuel, but also gains a measure of redemption after falling to the Saints in last year's GNAC quarterfinals via penalty kicks.

NEXT!

The Monks return to action on Saturday when the team hosts Regis College in another pivotal GNAC matchup at 4:00 PM.