Lacrosse Stopped by Johnson & Wales Saturday

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The University of Saint Joseph lacrosse team was stopped by first-place Johnson & Wales University, 22-1, in the final home game of the 2017 season on the USJ Lacrosse Field in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match Saturday afternoon. With the setback the Blue Jays fall to 3-9 overall on the season and 0-8 in the GNAC, while the Wildcats improve to 13-4 overall and 9-0 in the league.

The Wildcats scored the first 17 goals on their way to a 22-1 rout of the University of St. Joseph on Saturday and finish the regular season undefeated in GNAC play. JWU kept the Blue Jays off the scoreboard over the first 30 minutes of action and took a 16-0 lead into the halftime intermission.

Johnson & Wales was paced by sophomore Allison Pazienski (New Hyde, N.Y.), freshman Maria Patane (Greenwich, N.Y.), sophomore Alexandra Anton (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and senior Lydia Knapp (Glens Falls, N.Y.) in the first half. Pazienski found the back of the net four times, Patane scored three goals to go with an assist, Anton netted a pair of goals with five helpers and Knapp posted a pair of goals with an assist in the opening half of action to build the 16-0 advantage.

Anton pushed the lead to 17-0 with her third goal of the game to begin the second half before freshman Charlotte Eberhardt (Thomaston, Conn.) halted the run and got the Blue Jays on the board with an unassisted goal with just over 26 minutes left in regulation. It marked the seventh goal of Eberhardt's rookie campaign.

The Wildcats closed the game with five more unanswered goals to account for the 22-1 final margin, including one more from Pazienski to give her five goals in the contest.

Junior Emily Bourassa (Bristol, Conn.) made a season-high 20 saves in the cage for the Blue Jays, including 11 in the second half to hold the Wildcats to just six second-half goals. She drops to 3-9 on the season with the loss.

JWU held a significant, 25-6, advantage in the draw control department led by Knapp who finished with five. Freshman Devin Godbout (Willimantic, Conn.) posted a pair to lead the way for the Blue Jays.

Junior Amanda Van Buren (Burlington, Conn.) picked up a game-high four ground balls for USJ, while a trio of players each snagged three for the visitors. Sophomore Juliana Giello (Warwick, N.Y.) finished with a game-high three caused turnovers for JWU.

The USJ lacrosse team returns to the field next on Sunday as they wrap up the 2017 season on the road at Saint Joseph's College of Maine at 1 p.m.