NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Saint Joseph's College (2-3, 1-0 GNAC) opened Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play in dominant fashion on Saturday afternoon, rolling to a 22-1 victory over Albertus Magnus College (2-2, 0-2 GNAC) at Celentano Field. The Monks scored nine times in the opening quarter, led 14-0 at halftime, and never let up en route to their second win of the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Saint Joseph's took control immediately and never looked back. Junior Dinah Wadleigh (Augusta, Maine) opened the scoring just 35 seconds into the contest off a feed from sophomore Zoey Lailer (Limington, Maine), and the Monks followed with goals from sophomore Ella Highbarger (Kennebunk, Maine), sophomore Kiley Webber (Freeport, Maine), and Highbarger again to build a 4-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.

The offense kept pouring it on in the opening quarter. Junior Taylor Dumond (Minisink, N.Y.) scored twice during the first-period run, Lailer added a goal of her own, and freshman Savannah Knight (Sanford, Maine) closed the quarter with an unassisted marker as Saint Joseph's built a commanding 9-0 advantage after 15 minutes.

The Monks added five more goals in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead into halftime. Dumond opened the frame with a free-position goal, Webber and freshman Ali Long (Sanford, Maine) followed with tallies, and senior Sophia Burton (Minisink, N.Y.) scored twice in the final 6:24 of the half.

Saint Joseph's continued to dominate after the break, scoring four times in both the third and fourth quarters. Senior Celia Melanson (Waterford, Maine) found the net early in the third before Burton added two more goals in the period and Dumond capped the quarter with her fourth tally of the day. In the final stanza, junior Mia Kearns (Kingston, Mass.), sophomore Annabella Venna (Halifax, Mass.), and freshman Maddy Hall (North Yarmouth, Maine) all scored as the Monks pushed the margin to 22-0 before Albertus broke through with 33 seconds left.

STATS OF THE GAME:

Saint Joseph's controlled every phase of play, outshooting Albertus Magnus by a 36-3 margin and holding a 26-3 edge in shots on goal. The Monks also owned advantages in ground balls, draw controls, and caused turnovers, while going a perfect 8-for-8 on clears.

THE KEEPERS:

Saint Joseph's:

Junior Julia Price (Newbury, Mass.) earned the win after not facing a shot in a scoreless first half. Senior Alexis Eldridge (Effingham, N.H.) worked the second half and made two saves.

Albertus Magnus:

Victoria McDermott played all 60 minutes and made five saves with two ground balls.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Celia Melanson (Sr., Waterford, Maine) – 1 goal, 8 assists
• Sophia Burton (Sr., Minisink, N.Y.) – 4 goals, 2 assists
• Taylor Dumond (Jr., Minisink, N.Y.) – 4 goals
• Ella Highbarger (So., Kennebunk, Maine) – 3 goals, 1 assist, 3 draw controls, 2 caused turnovers
• Zoey Lailer (So., Limington, Maine) – 1 goal, 3 assists
• Kiley Webber (So., Freeport, Maine) – 2 goals, 1 assist
• Ava Molineaux (So., Rowley, Mass.) – 9 draw controls, 5 ground balls, 2 caused turnovers
• Alexis Copp (Sr., New Durham, N.H.) – 4 draw controls, 2 caused turnovers

LEADERS – ALBERTUS MAGNUS:

• Jamily Carter – 1 goal
• Briony Retasket – 4 draw controls, 2 ground balls
• Sage Sonsini – 3 ground balls, 2 caused turnovers

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the win, Saint Joseph's remains undefeated (9-0) in the history of the series with Albertus Magnus College.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's returns to action on Tuesday, March 17, when the Monks host Dean College for a 5:00 PM GNAC contest.