Dinger, Women's Lacrosse Dominate Mitchell Tuesday, 18-2

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's lacrosse team dominated intrastate opponent Mitchell College (MC), 18-2, Tuesday evening in a non-conference matchup held on the USJ Lacrosse Field.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Mitchell 2, Saint Joseph 18
Records: MC (0-2), USJ (2-2)
Location: USJ Lacrosse Field | West Hartford, Conn.

The Blue Jays were led once again by junior attack Makenzie Dinger (Hingham, Mass.) and senior midfielder Jenna Banta (Montville, Conn.), who combined to score 10 goals in the win. Dinger had eight goals all on her own, doubling her previous career-high of four. She now has 20 goals on the 2022 season which is tops in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) after Tuesday's contest. Banta currently sits third in the GNAC with 14. Dinger and Banta have combined to score 34 of the Blue Jays' 47 goals this season (72%).

Banta's three-plus goals in a game streak came to an end at three-straight games with only a pair versus the Mariners, but Saint Joseph got three goals from another teammate in sophomore midfielder Ana Nogueira (Trumbull, Conn.). Nogueira had just four career goals before netting three Tuesday night.

The game was quickly in USJ's favor after the team broke a 1-1 tie by scoring six-straight goals to end the opening period. In the second stanza, Saint Joseph piled it on with goals left and right. Ultimately, it wound up being 15 unanswered scores for the hosts before Mitchell found the back of the net again. By then it was too late. The game was capped by a man-down goal for Dinger to put the exclamation point on the team's second win of the season.

COACH QUOTE [Karen Nell]
"It was a great team effort. Everyone contributed on attack and on defense. All three goalies were solid in the cage tonight. We had a well-balanced plan with Makenzie Dinger and Jenna Banta on the attack, while Kate Miranda led us in ground balls."

NUMBER TO KNOW

41 – The Blue Jays are plus-41 in goal differential in the last three meetings with the Mariners, outscoring them, 57-16. Saint Joseph has won three-straight games against Mitchell.

GOALIE BREAKDOWN

MC – Freshman goalkeeper Gaby Estupinan (North White Plains, N.Y.) took the loss Tuesday (0-2), allowing 18 goals and making six saves in a full 60 minutes of action.

USJ – Senior captain and goalie Nina Lestrud (Torrington, Conn.) improved to 2-2 on the season with just one goal allowed and four saves in just over 40 minutes of work. Senior stopper Silvana Barcomb (Middletown, Conn.) had a clean 15+ minutes between the pipes in her season debut, while freshman goalie Abigail Delgado (Southington, Conn.) also saw time for USJ.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays now prepare for the all-important Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) schedule, starting off with the Lasers of Lasell University on Saturday, March 12 in a home match at 12:00 p.m. back on the USJ Lacrosse Field. The Blue Jays last played Lasell in 2019, falling 21-8.

Follow USJ Athletics
For the latest on University of Saint Joseph athletics, follow the Blue Jays on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Fans can also download the USJ Front Row Mobile App and subscribe to our Newsletter and Text Alerts. #FearTheFlock #GoBlueJays