GORHAM, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (10-1) defeated University of Southern Maine (4-4), 3-0, in a non-conference field hockey contest on Thursday evening.

THE LEAD

Freshman forward Emma Rutledge (Alfred, Maine) scored two goals to help the Monks avenge a 1-0 setback at the hands of the Huskies last fall.

THE REST OF THE STORY

Southern Maine controlled the opening minutes of play, recording the first four shots of the contest, but SJC's Kara Kelly (York, Maine) put the Monks ahead 1-0 in the 17th minute redirecting a centering pass from Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine) to open the scoring. Rutledge scored the first of her two goals in the game in the 27th minute and SJC took a 2-0 lead into the break.

The Monks controlled possession for most of the second half, outshooting Southern Maine 9-1 in the latter frame, but was held to just one goal for the 3-0 final.  Rutledge's second goal of the game came in the 48th minute, controlling the ball out of the air on a rebounded save.

THE KEEPERS

Saint Joseph's senior Megan Baker (Gorham, Maine) made three saves to notch her fifth shutout of the season and 26th of her career. USM sophomore McKenzie Cormier (Hiram, Maine) allowed three goals with nine saves in 52:21 minutes and was removed in favor of freshman Lindsay Pych (West Milford, N.J.), who was untested in 17:39 minutes of relief.

TEAM STATS

Saint Joseph's held advantages in shots (17-7), shots on goal (12-3), and penalty corners (11-6) in the victory.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

With the result, Saint Joseph's improves to 6-16 in the history of the series with University of Southern Maine. All six of the Monks' victories over the Huskies have come since the start of the 2010 campaign as SJC owns a 6-2 record versus USM over the eight-year span.

Head Coach Rupert Lewis, who graduated from USM in 1982 and starred as a soccer player for the Huskies, started his field hockey coaching career at Southern Maine where he served as an assistant for eight years (1984-91). For his soccer play, Lewis was inducted into the USM Hall of Fame in 2010.

NEXT!

Both teams resume play facing conference foes on Saturday, when Saint Joseph's hosts GNAC-rival Colby-Sawyer College at 11:00 AM and Southern Maine travels to Worcester State for a 3:00 PM LEC battle.

THANKS IN PART TO USM SPORTS INFORMATION

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