April 24, 2012

BOSTON, MA - #5 Saint Joseph's (8-6, 5-4 GNAC) fell to #4 Simmons College (8-8, 6-3 GNAC), 15-5, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament quarterfinal contest on Tuesday evening.

The host-Sharks opened play with five unanswered goals over the first seven minutes to put the Monks on their heels and effectively take control of the playoff contest. St. Joe's answered with two quick scores by sophomore Cassie Diplock (Augusta, Maine), but Simmons managed to outscore the Royal Blue by a 6-1 margin and held an 11-3 cushion heading into intermission.

Saint Joseph's looked for a spark early in the second stanza and junior attacker Lauren Bailey (Hampton, N.H.) answered the call with an unassisted marker with 26:30 left to play, but the Monks would not find the back of the cage again until sophomore midfielder Anneka Adame (San Diego, Calif.) netted a free-position goal with one minute remaining. In the meantime, the Sharks scored four goals en route to a 15-5 GNAC Tournament quarterfinal victory.

For St. Joe's, the 2012 campaign comes to an end with the tourney loss. Simmons advances to the conference tournament semifinal round, as the Sharks will face top-seeded Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont on Thursday. The Cadets bested #8 Emmanuel College, 14-4, in another quarterfinal tilt earlier today.

For the Monks, Diplock netted three goals, Megan Cutter (Westbrook, Maine) picked up a team-high five ground balls, and Adame added five draw controls in the losing effort.  In net, Elizabeth Giacchino (Melrose, Mass.) takes the loss after allowing 11 goals with two saves in the first half and Haley Nason (Saco, Maine) made a pair of saves in the second half.

For the Sharks, Rachel Wallace tallied four goals and an assist, Leanne Luke and Megan Coffey netted three goals apiece, Stephanie Oliveri registered two goals and three assists, Becca Shea added a goal and three helpers, and Lee Sutherland produced a goal and two assists along with a game-high seven ground balls in the victory. Simmons keeper Kelly Last made 14 saves on the night.

Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.