BRIGHTON, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (7-4, 5-1) women's lacrosse picked up a big GNAC win on the road Saturday, rolling past Simmons University (3-6, 2-4), 17-7, at Daly Field. 

The Monks set the tone early, opening the game on a 3-0 run and never looking back. After taking a 4-4 tie into halftime, the Monks exploded in the second half, outscoring the Sharks 13-3 over the final two quarters.

Freshman attacker Ella Highbarger (Kennebunk, ME) led the offensive charge with a game-high seven points, netting five goals and dishing out a pair of assists. Junior Mackenzie Siebert (Naples, ME) stayed hot with four goals, while Celia Melanson (Waterford, ME), Shauna Clark (Oakland, ME), and Taylor Dumond (Minisink, N.Y.) each scored twice in the Monks win over the Sharks. 

Siebert got things started just over a minute into the contest, converting off a feed from Highbarger. SJC took over in the third quarter, outscoring Simmons 7-2 to grab an 11-6 lead heading into the final frame, where they tacked on six more to seal the win.

Junior goalie Morgan Wright (Chelmsford, MA) recorded 13 saves in a full 60-minute performance. The Monks' defense was equally locked in, forcing 20 Simmons turnovers and keeping the Sharks at bay in the second half.

Despite a strong showing from Simmons standout Frida Turriza—who scored five of the team's seven goals—the Sharks couldn't match the Monks' pace down the stretch. Simmons held slight edges in draw controls (16-12) and ground balls (15-14), but the Monks' offensive efficiency proved too much, as they fired 33 shots with 32 on target.

The Monks are back in action on Tuesday at Emmanuel.