STANDISH, Maine – Fourth-seeded Saint Joseph's College (9-9, 6-3 GNAC) hosts fifth-seeded New England College (10-7, 5-4 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Field Hockey Tournament Quarterfinal on Saturday, October 31, at 11:00 AM at the SJC Athletics Complex.
The winner advances to Wednesday's semifinal against the winner of the No. 1 Colby-Sawyer/No. 8 Rivier quarterfinal. The semifinal winners will meet for the GNAC Championship on Saturday, November 7, with the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament at stake.
BRACKETOLOGY:
Quarterfinals – Saturday, October 31, hosted by higher seeds:
No. 8 Rivier at No. 1 Colby-Sawyer
No. 7 Dean at No. 2 Lasell
No. 6 Simmons at No. 3 Saint Joseph (Conn.)
No. 5 New England College at No. 4 Saint Joseph's – 11:00 AM
Semifinals – Wednesday, November 4, hosted by higher seeds:
No. 1/8 winner vs. No. 4/5 winner
No. 2/7 winner vs. No. 3/6 winner
Championship – Saturday, November 7:
Semifinal winners
QUICK FACTS:
- Both teams are seeking another semifinal appearance: Saint Joseph's advanced in 2024 and 2025, while New England College has reached the round in each of the last three seasons.
- The Monks have won three of their last five games.
- The Pilgrims are 4-2 in their last six contests and closed the regular season with a 4-0 loss at nationally ranked Endicott on Tuesday.
- Saint Joseph's won the regular-season meeting, 2-1, in double overtime on October 10.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Saint Joseph's:
- Ava Markham (So., Belfast, Maine) – Leads the Monks with 12 assists and 34 points while sharing the team lead with 11 goals. The sophomore scored the double-overtime winner against NEC earlier this month.
- Chloe Masse (Fr., Oakland, Maine) – Has 11 goals and four assists for 26 points. The two-time GNAC Rookie of the Week has scored in four consecutive games, totaling seven goals during that stretch.
- Myia SeeHusen (So., Corinna, Maine) – Has contributed seven goals and two assists for 16 points, including three game-winning goals.
- Dasia Alberico (Fr., Skowhegan, Maine) – Has seven goals and an assist for 15 points and scored the opening goal in the regular-season win over NEC.
- Zoey Lailer (Jr., Limington, Maine) - Anchors the SJC defense with three defensive saves while contributing offensively with four goals and five assists while starting all 18 games.
New England College:
- Adelaide Kelly – Leads the Pilgrims with 23 points on nine goals and five assists.
- Kacey McClay – Shares the team lead with nine goals and has added three assists for 21 points.
- Kylee Henriquez – Has eight goals and two assists for 18 points, including three game-winners.
- Mary Kelley – Has six goals and five assists for 17 points and scored NEC's equalizer in the October 10 meeting.
- Kennedy Overhoff – Leads the team with six assists and has added three goals for 12 points.
KEEPER COMPARISON:
Saint Joseph's:
Senior Kimberley McLaughlin (Lewiston, Maine) enters the tournament with 146 saves and a .781 save percentage. She recorded 11 saves in the regular-season victory over NEC and recently established a career high with 20 stops against nationally-ranked Endicott.
New England College:
Annie Raduazzo has handled the majority of the Pilgrims' goalkeeping duties. Through October 27, she had recorded 72 saves with a 1.30 goals-against average and an .818 save percentage. Amy Philbin also has contributed significant minutes, posting a 1.48 GAA over eight appearances and 284 minutes during that span.
THE SKIPPERS:
Saint Joseph's – Theresa Arsenault '14, Third Season
Arsenault has guided the Monks to the GNAC semifinals in each of her first two seasons. Saint Joseph's defeated Colby-Sawyer in the 2024 quarterfinals and Simmons in last year's opening round. The former SJC standout and Athletics Hall of Fame inductee is seeking her third consecutive postseason victory in the quarterfinal round.
New England College – Carly Sweeney, 10th Season
Sweeney has led the Pilgrims since 2017 and guided the program to five consecutive winning seasons from 2021 through 2025. NEC has advanced to the GNAC semifinals in each of its first three seasons in the conference.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET:
Markham scored just 45 seconds into double overtime to lift Saint Joseph's to a 2-1 victory over New England College in Standish on October 10.
Alberico opened the scoring at 34:55 off a pass from freshman Lily Huntley (Wilton, Maine) before Kelley tied the game with 8:27 remaining in regulation. McLaughlin made three saves in the first overtime, and Huntley supplied her second assist of the afternoon on Markham's winner following a penalty corner.
Lailer, Masse, and Thomas each recorded a defensive save in the victory.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's holds a 7-4 all-time record against New England College and has won the last two meetings. Both victories were decided by one goal, including a 1-0 road win in 2025.
POSTSEASON HISTORY:
Saint Joseph's captured four consecutive GNAC Championships from 2016 through 2019 and is pursuing its third straight semifinal appearance. The Monks defeated Simmons, 5-0, in last year's quarterfinal before falling to Colby-Sawyer in the semifinals.
New England College is seeking its fourth consecutive GNAC semifinal berth after advancing past Lasell in last season's quarterfinal round.
