Field Hockey Clipped by Saint Joseph's Saturday, 3-1

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) field hockey team dropped a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest at home to the Saint Joseph's College of Maine Monks (SJC), 3-1, on a beautiful fall Saturday afternoon at the USJ Field Hockey Field in West Hartford, Conn. After USJ took the lead in the opening quarter, the Monks scored once in the second quarter, once in the third quarter, and once in the fourth quarter to take home the victory.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: USJ 1, SJC 3
Records: USJ (1-12, 1-7 GNAC), SJC (10-6, 7-2 GNAC)
Location: USJ Field Hockey Field (West Hartford, Conn.)

KEY MOMENTS

• The opening quarter featured a battle of the midfield, as neither USJ or SJC generated a clear-cut scoring opportunity. Both defenses were stellar, not allowing a single shot during the opening 10 minutes of play.
• USJ would strike first, finding the back of the net on its first shot of the contest. Freshman midfielder Devan Fox (Granville, Mass.) drove down the right side of the field, looking to find a cut back pass into the middle of the circle. Fox would find senior midfielder Emma Kociszewski (Thomaston, Conn.), who found the bottom left corner of the goal, giving the Blue Jays the 1-0 lead at the 11:24 mark. The goal marked the first of the season for Kociszewski.
• SJC wasted little time trying to find the equalizer. Senior forward Megan Quirion (Oakland, Maine) found space inside the circle, directing her shot towards the cage. However, junior goalkeeper Wendy Bowden (Old Saybrook, Conn.) made the easy kick save, denying the Monks a chance at leveling the score.
• Both defenses would keep the opposing offenses at bay in the closing minutes, as USJ took a 1-0 lead after the first quarter.
• The Monks piled on the pressure in the first minute of the second quarter, forcing a pair of fine saves by Bowden. After earning a penalty corner at the 16:06 mark into the match, the Monks would work a play, finding senior forward Alexa Gutowski (North Conway, N.H.) at the back post. However, Bowden stood strong, making the point-blank save.
• SJC would earn another penalty corner immediately 16:13 into the game, finding the stick of Quirion. Bowden would come up clutch again for the Blue Jays, recording the stop and keeping the Monks off the board.
• The Monks continued to pile on the pressure, generating their third penalty corner of the quarter 19:04 into the game. After running their corner play, senior midfielder Aimee Adams (Gardiner, Maine) would have an open shot, but Bowden once again turned away the effort, preserving USJ's 1-0 lead.
• However, SJC's persistence payed off, tying the game at 1-1 at the 22:17 mark. Quirion would make a nice pass to freshman forward Maya Waras (Bellows Falls, Vt., who fired her shot past Bowden into the bottom right corner to tie the game.
• The Monks continued to pile on the pressure, looking to take the lead later on in the second quarter. Freshman forward Kienna Haley (Scarborough, Maine ) saw her effort at the 23:55 mark be saved by Bowden, before Quirion fired just wide of the net one minute later. Waryas and Quirion generated opportunities in the final three minutes, but both Monks' missed the mark on the shots as the game reached the halftime break level, 1-1.
• SJC came firing out of the gates to start the second half, as Quirion forced a save by Bowden at the 31:11 mark. The Monks continued their offensive onslaught, earning a penalty corner with 31:22 on the clock. The Blue Jays' defensive line though denied any scoring chance from the corner.
• The Monks continued their attack, as sophomore forward Abbie Jacques (Mount Vernon, Maine) had her effort at 33:50 be well saved by Bowden.
• SCJ's Sadie Tirrell (Naples, Maine) would pick up a green card, forcing the Monks to go down to 10 players for two minutes at the 35:12 mark. However, the Monks would take the lead shortly after at the 36:42 mark with a man-down marker. Senior midfielder Molly McCluskey (Orono, Maine) would have her shot on net blocked by a USJ defender, but the rebound fell directly to Waryas who had an empty net, scoring her second of the game and giving SJC a 2-1 lead.
• Bowden would come up big for the Blue Jays in the 41st minute, making two outstanding saves to prevent the Monks from furthering the advantage, but the Monks would enter the fourth quarter leading, 2-1.
• USJ tried to find the equalizer in the fourth quarter. 50:03 into the match, the Blue Jays earned a penalty corner, setting up a great scoring chance. Working the ball around the arc, it would come to the stick of sophomore midfielder Maya Tomko (Sparta, N.J.), but her shot was well saved by SJC's goalkeeper Kassidy Collins (Gardiner, Maine).
• Tomko would try her luck again after another penalty corner at the 51:37 mark, but her shot from a tough angle was stopped again by Collins.
• SJC added on one more tally late in the fourth quarter, as Jacques found Waras inside the circle, securing her a hat-trick for the game and giving the Monks a 3-1 edge.
• The Blue Jays were unable to generate another scoring chance over the remaining time in the match and SJC took home a 3-1 victory as the final horn sounded.

NOTES

• Today's game marked the second meeting all-time between the two GNAC programs. The Monks have won both contests.
• The Monks outshot the Blue Jays on the afternoon, 22-3, including 14-3 in shots on goal.
• SJC held a sizeable advantage in penalty corners, 14-2.
• Kociszewski's goal was her first of the 2022 season and second of her career.
• Bowden finished with 10 saves on the afternoon. With the result, she drops to 1-12 overall on the season inside the cage.
• Collins earned the win between the posts for the Monks. She made two saves to improve to 9-6 on the season.

UP NEXT

Field hockey returns back to play on Wednesday, October 19 for a GNAC match on the road at Dean College. The action is set to begin between the Blue Jays and Bulldogs at 3:30 p.m. at Grant Field in Franklin, Mass.