STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (3-3, 2-0 GNAC) cruised to an 18-0 victory over Dean College (0-4, 0-2 GNAC) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's lacrosse action at the SJC Athletic Complex on Tuesday evening.

BROKEN RECORD:

Senior Celia Melanson (Waterford, Maine) made history in Tuesday's win over Dean College, dishing out a program-record nine assists, including the record-breaker on an Ella Highbarger goal with 11:58 left in the fourth quarter. The previous single-game mark was shared by Madison Beaulieu '20 and Lydia Dexter '23.

Melanson also became just the third player in Saint Joseph's history to reach 100 career assists and now stands at 105 in 59 career contests.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Saint Joseph's took control from the outset and never looked back, scoring seven times in the opening quarter to build early separation. Sophomore Ella Highbarger (Kennebunk, Maine) opened the scoring 28 seconds into the contest and the Monks continued to pile on behind balanced offense from Highbarger, sophomore Zoey Lailer (Limington, Maine), junior Taylor Dumond (Minisink, N.Y.), senior Sophia Burton (Minisink, N.Y.), and senior Celia Melanson (Waterford, Maine).

The Monks added six more goals in the second quarter to carry a 13-0 lead into halftime and remained in full control after the break. Saint Joseph's tacked on three goals in the third and two more in the fourth to finish off the 18-0 conference victory.

STATS OF THE GAME:

Saint Joseph's dominated the statistical battle, owning advantages in shots (46-1), shots on goal (35-0), ground balls (22-4), and draw controls (16-2). The Monks were also clean with the ball, committing only eight turnovers and converting all six of their clear attempts. Dean finished with 23 turnovers and did not register a shot on target.

THE KEEPERS:

Saint Joseph's:

• Julia Price (Jr., Newbury, Mass.) played the full game and earned the shutout victory.

Dean:

• Shea Cassani (Jr., Belgrade, Maine) made 17 saves in the loss.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Celia Melanson – 2 goals, 9 assists, 2 ground balls, 1 caused turnover
• Taylor Dumond – 4 goals, 3 ground balls, 2 caused turnovers
• Ella Highbarger – 4 goals, 1 assist, 4 ground balls, 12 draw controls, 4 caused turnovers
• Zoey Lailer – 4 goals, 1 caused turnover
• Sophia Burton – 3 goals, 1 ground ball, 1 caused turnover
• Ava Molineaux (So., Rowley, Mass.) – 1 goal, 4 ground balls, 4 caused turnovers, 2 draw controls
• Alexis Copp (Sr., New Durham, N.H.) – 3 caused turnovers, 2 draw controls

LEADERS – DEAN:

• Ailey Pequita (Fr., Enfield, Conn.) – 2 ground balls
• Natalie Zona (Jr., Auburn, Mass.) – 1 draw control
• Caroline Ramsey (Jr., Shreveport, La.) – 1 draw control

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is now 5-0 in the history of the series with Dean College.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will host Emmanuel College on Saturday in a GNAC matchup slated to start at 12:00 PM.