Saint Joseph’s Sails Past Simmons, 12-5

PORTLAND, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (9-2, 3-0 GNAC) defeated Simmons College (5-5, 2-2 GNAC), 12-5, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's lacrosse action at Deering Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Holding on to a 3-2 edge with 15:23 remaining in the first half, the Monks scored five of the game's following six goals, including three Elyse Caiazzo (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) tallies, en route to securing an 8-3 cushion heading into intermission.

The Sharks opened the second stanza with a pair of goals, as sophomore midfielder Kasey Fries
(Bridgewater, Mass.) scored twice in a matter of 13 seconds to make it an 8-5 game with 24:31 left. The Monks proceeded to hold the visitors off the board while potting four unanswered markers – including three from junior Kelsey Dumond (Lewiston, Maine) – during the remainder of the contest to remain undefeated in GNAC play.

THE KEEPERS
For the Monks, senior Michelle Cunha (Enfield, Conn.) registered 10 saves while her counterpart, Simmons freshman Kenzie Rogers (Bourne, Mass.), posted 11 stops in a losing effort.

ST. JOE'S HIGHLIGHTS

• Dumond led all scorers with four goals and picked up a pair of ground balls
• Caiazzo tallied three goals, two assists, five ground balls, and four draw controls
• Senior Kat Gadbois (Scarborough, Maine) added two goals, two assists, and three draw controls
• Senior Elizabeth Elcock (Westwood, Mass.) netted a pair of goals
• Junior Jackie Wilson (Tiverton, R.I.) chipped in with a pair of assists, six ground balls, three draw controls, and two caused turnovers
• Senior Emma Lafrance (Westport, Mass.) scooped up four ground balls

SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior Alexia Malone Oliver (Bristol, R.I.) scored twice with a pair of caused turnovers
• Fries finished the day with two tallies and two ground balls
• Senior Ashley Sheehan (North Attleboro, Mass.) contributed a goal with seven draw controls and two ground balls

TEAM STATS
Saint Joseph's held the lead in shots (30-20), ground balls (23-16), draw controls (10-9), turnovers (16-20), and caused turnovers (9-5) while successfully clearing on all 18 attempts. Simmons was 14-20 on clear chances.

D3 WEEK
At halftime, the SJC women's lacrosse program stole a few moments to honor Dr. Karen Croteau, of the Sports and Exercise Science Department, and Dr. Emily Lesher, who teaches in the Natural Sciences Department, as part of the Monks' NCAA DIII Week festivities. Croteau and Lesher were presented by Elcock and Caiazzo, respectively, and were given small gifts as tokens of appreciation during the ceremony.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 4-5 in the history of the series with Simmons College, a team the Monks defeated by a 17-15 margin in Boston last spring.

NEXT!
Saint Joseph's plays at Lasell College at 4:00 PM on Thursday while Simmons plays at cross street rival Emmanuel College on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.