HENNIKER, N.H. – Senior Kienna Haley (Scarborough, Maine) scored in the eighth minute and junior goalkeeper Kimberley McLaughlin (Lewiston, Maine) stopped all seven shots she faced as Saint Joseph's College (11-6, 9-1 GNAC) edged New England College (10-7, 7-3 GNAC), 1-0, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) field hockey action on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's claims the #2 seed in the GNAC Tournament, which begins next Saturday with a quarterfinal round. The Monks will host #7 Simmons University (5-11, 5-5 GNAC), start time TBD.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Monks controlled much of the early play and capitalized at the 7:43 mark when freshman Ava Markham (Belfast, Maine) set up Haley for her 20th goal of the season.
The Pilgrims nearly equalized in the 22nd minute when Cristina Manzi was awarded a penalty stroke, but McLaughlin denied the attempt to keep the shutout intact.
NOTEWORTHY:
Haley becomes just the fifth player in program history to reach 20 goals in a season, joining teammate Maya Waryas (Bellows Falls, Vt.), Libby Pomerleau '20, Kayla Nowell '11, and Emma Rutledge '22 on the exclusive list. Both Waryas and Pomerleau accomplished the feat twice in their careers.
This season also marks the first time in program history that two SJC teammates have netted 20 or more goals in the same campaign, with Waryas reaching the milestone earlier in the week against UMaine-Farmington.
TEAM STATS:
Saint Joseph's held a slim 9-8 edge in shots while both teams steered seven shots on goal and the Pilgrims held an 8-6 lead in penalty corners.
THE KEEPERS:
McLaughlin earned her first shutout of the season with a seven-save performance while NEC's Mackenzie Anderson made six stops in the setback.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 6-4 all-time against New England College. The Pilgrims had claimed the previous two meetings by identical 3-0 scores.
NEXT!:
Saint Joseph's wraps up the regular season on Tuesday with a 6:00 PM non-conference matchup at Wellesley College.
