STANDISH, Maine – In the first game of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play for either side, Saint Joseph's College of Maine (2-4-0, 1-0-0 GNAC) toppled Mount Ida College (0-5-0, 0-1-0 GNAC), 5-1, in women's soccer action at Westerlea Way Field on Saturday afternoon.
Mount Ida freshman Alee Bonola (Windsor, Conn.) scored her third goal of the season in the second half, but the deficit was already 4-0 in favor of the host Monks by that point.
Junior forward Hannah LeBlanc (Andover, Mass.) netted the opener in each half for Saint Joseph's.
LeBlanc helped set the tone early for the Monks, as the junior potted her first goal of the afternoon just 6:18 into the contest. Working downfield on the right side, LeBlanc turned a corner into the box and chipped a kick over Mount Ida keeper Rebecca Beaulieu (Weare, N.H.), who left the six-yard box to cut the angle, into the left panel of the net.
Beaulieu would go on to record eight saves in a losing effort for the Mustangs.
Senior Sam Peters (Gorham, Maine) doubled the Monks' advantage six minutes later when she followed her own rebound, and senior Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) capped the first-half scoring with her first goal of the season in the 23rd minute. Jordan tucked a grounder into the right side to lift the hosts to a 3-0 advantage.
LeBlanc secured her first NCAA brace with an unassisted score in the 63rd minute. The Mustangs found the board just over a minute later, when Bonola notched her team-leading third marker of the season to make it a 4-1 contest.
Saint Joseph's went on to reestablish the four-goal cushion when first-year Sarah Comtois (Lowell, Mass.) netted her first collegiate marker off a Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) feed at the 68:02 mark.
Overall, Saint Joseph's held a 24-6 shots advantage with a 3-0 edge in corner kicks in the victory.
Freshman Brooke Troup (East Bridgewater, Mass.) made her first start in goal and one save in the first half while sophomores Amelia Tooker (Westfield, Mass.) and Marina Cameron (Houlton, Maine) combined to make three saves with a goal allowed in the second stanza.
Mount Ida will return to non-conference play on Thursday with a visit to Nichols for a 4:00 pm game.
Saint Joseph's is back in action tomorrow afternoon with a home non-conference match versus Husson University at 12:00 PM.