MONKS SLIP PAST PRIDE, 12-11 IN TRIPLE OT AFFAIR

Photo courtesy of Mike Davis
Photo courtesy of Mike Davis

WESTON, Mass. – Despite a season-high 18 save performance from Emma Decker (Southborough, Mass.), visiting Saint Joseph's (Me.) narrowly edged Regis College, 12-11 in a non-conference women's lacrosse game at Regis Stadium on Thursday evening. Senior Cassie Diplock (Augusta, Maine) provided the heroics by scoring at the 4:47 mark of triple overtime to give the Monks (5-5) their fourth straight win. With the loss, the Pride snap their five game winning streak as they fall to 5-3 on the season.

Diplock and Regis sophomore Sam Salamone (Milford, Mass.) each scored six goals in the contest to lead the charge offensively for their squads. The Pride's Grace Politis (Billerica, Mass.) chipped in with four goals of her own, while Mary Leasure (South Portland, Maine) scored a pair of goals for the Monks.

The teams found themselves tied at two by the 17:02 mark of the first half after a pair of goals from Politis and one goal each from Leasure and Elizabeth Elcock (Westwood, Mass.). The Monks would then go on to score three unanswered goals to take a 5-2 lead just inside 10 minutes to play. Diplock scored two unanswered goals, while Anneka Adame (San Diego, Calif.) received a pass in front from Jackie Wilson (Tiverton, Mass.) on the wing and buried one top shelf for a third.

Salamone answered with back-to-back goals of her own to cut the deficit to one. Her first was an unassisted tally where she cut from behind the goal and took a bounce shot past Emma Astbury (Bridgewater, Vt.). She followed that up with a free position goal minutes later.

Salamone and Diplock traded goals to close out the half, as the Monks headed into the break with a 6-5 advantage.

The Pride opened up the second half on a 3-0 run to jump out to an 8-6 lead, courtesy of Politis and Lindsey Graver (Bellingham, Mass.). Graver assisted on the first two goals, which were scored by Politis, before scoring a goal of her own off a pass ahead on the fast break from Stacy Burns (Waltham, Mass.).

The Monks came storming back and scored the game's next three goals to reclaim the one goal lead. Leasure scored her second of the contest on a free position shot before Kat Gadbois (Scarborough, Maine) scored and then assisted on a Kelsey Dumond (Lewiston, Maine) tally.

Within the last five minutes of regulation, Diplock tacked on two more unassisted goals for Saint Joseph's, but Salamone also scored three free position goals, including the game-tying goal, with 58 seconds on the clock to push the game into overtime.

Decker came up big for the Pride in overtime, making seven stops over the three periods of extra time. Neither team was able to get on the scoreboard through the first two periods, as the game entered the third and eventual final overtime frame.

Diplock finally broke the scoreless drought on a restart to claim the win for the Monks. Adame hit Diplock with a pass in front, where she cut to her right and took a low shot that beat Decker from about seven yards out to seal the victory.

Both teams return to action this Saturday with 1 p.m. away games. Regis will return to league play when they face Bay Path, while Saint Joseph's will play against GNAC foe Lasell.