STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (14-3, 13-0 GNAC) celebrated Senior Day with an 18-7 victory over the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) (10-7, 9-4 GNAC) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's lacrosse action at the SJC Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon.
SENIOR DAY:
Prior to the game, Saint Joseph's honored its senior class of Quinn Brown (Londonderry, N.H.), Sophia Burton (Minisink, N.Y.), Alexis Copp (New Durham, N.H.), Alexis Eldridge (Effingham, N.H.), Elle Hall (Casco, Maine), Lydia Hill (Windham, Maine), Celia Melanson (Waterford, Maine), and Taylor Shorey (Byfield, Mass.). Over the past four seasons, this group has helped the Monks compile a 55-18 (.753) overall record and a 42-5 (.894) mark in GNAC play, along with three GNAC Tournament appearances and a fourth forthcoming. The class also owns the second-most victories by a senior class in program history, trailing only the 2025 group, which went 61-15 (.803) over four seasons.
MILESTONE(S) MET:
Eldridge recorded the 200th save of her collegiate career in Saturday's victory and also became the first player in Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse history to reach 30 career wins. She now owns a 30-10 record in four seasons in goal.
With her fourth goal of the game, scored at the 6:41 mark of the second quarter, sophomore Ella Highbarger (Kennebunk, Maine) recorded the 100th point of her collegiate career. Through Saturday's contest, Highbarger has totaled 82 goals and 19 assists for 101 points in just 33 career games.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's set the tone early and never trailed, scoring seven goals in the opening quarter to take control. After the Blue Jays briefly tied the game at 1-1, the Monks closed the frame on a 6-2 run behind goals from Highbarger, junior Taylor Dumond (Minisink, N.Y.), and senior Sophia Burton to carry a 7-3 lead after one.
The Monks extended their advantage in the second quarter, outscoring USJ 4-1 to take an 11-4 lead into halftime. Highbarger totaled five goals in the half to pace the SJC offense.
Saint Joseph's broke the game open in the third quarter, netting six goals while holding the visitors scoreless. Dumond scored three times in the period as the Monks pushed the lead to 17-4 entering the final frame.
USJ scored three times in the fourth quarter, but the Monks answered with a goal from senior Celia Melanson to seal the 11-goal conference victory.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Saint Joseph's controlled the contest in nearly every category, holding advantages in shots (44-20), shots on goal (34-12), ground balls (36-15), and draw controls (21-6). The Monks also converted 24 of 26 clearing attempts and forced 23 turnovers in the win.
THE KEEPERS:
Saint Joseph's:
USJ (Conn.):
- Colleen Stringer – 31:42, 12 GA, 15 saves
- Abigail Hubbard – 3:51, 2 GA
- Erika Horne – 24:27, 4 GA, 5 saves
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Ella Highbarger – 5 goals
- Taylor Dumond – 4 goals, 8 draw controls
- Celia Melanson – 2 goals, 5 assists
- Dinah Wadleigh (Jr., Augusta, Maine) – 2 goals
- Zoey Lailer (So., Limington, Maine) – 2 goals
- Sophia Burton – 2 goals, 1 assist
- Ava Molineaux (So., Rowley, Mass.) – 10 ground balls, 8 draw controls, 7 caused turnovers
LEADERS – USJ (CONN.):
- Anna LeGault – 3 goals, 1 assist
- Kailey Krusewski – 3 goals
- Paige Rieger – 2 assists
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the triumph, Saint Joseph's improves to 16-0 all-time versus the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.).
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's closes out the regular season on Wednesday when the Monks travel to Elms College for a GNAC contest scheduled to begin at 5:00 PM.
