NORTHFIELD, Vt. - In a battle of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) North Division's top two teams, the Norwich University women's lacrosse team delivered a thrilling 11-10 win over Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Wednesday evening at Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium.  The victory marked Norwich's first over the Monks since 2013, snapping a 15-game skid in the all-time series.

The Cadets extend their winning streak to 11 straight games, improving to 13-1 overall and remaining perfect in GNAC action at 9-0 (5-0 North Division).  The win also secures a berth in the upcoming GNAC Tournament, which begins with Play-In Games on Apr. 24, followed by the GNAC Quarterfinals on Apr. 26.

Sophomore standout Caitlyn Fielder (East Calais, Vt.) paced the Norwich attack with a hat trick, while Sophie Zemianek (St. Albans, Vt.), Neris Archambault (Pepperell, Mass.), and Breanna Ricker (Laconia, N.H.) each tallied twice.  Julia Gutke (Stockholm, Sweden) and Athena Merck (West Yarmouth, Mass.) added goals in a balanced offensive effort.  Fielder also contributed a game-high eight draw controls and finished a perfect 2-for-2 on free-position shots.

Defensively, the Cadets forced 20 caused turnovers, led by Sarah Moshrefi's (Leesburg, Va.) dominant six caused turnovers.  Celine Juneau (Chazy, N.Y.) added three, while Fielder, Juneau, and Ricker chipped in three ground balls each.  Norwich controlled the ground game, finishing with a 25-18 advantage.

Goalkeeper Bailey Manning-Ingala (West Hartford, Conn.) continued her outstanding season with a 12-save performance between the pipes, collecting a game-high five ground balls and improving to 9-1 on the year.

Norwich opened the scoring just 32 seconds in on a Fielder strike, but the Monks responded with back-to-back extra-man goals to take the lead.  Archambault answered with a crucial tally in the final seconds of the opening frame to knot the game at 2-2.  After a Merck goal reclaimed the lead early in the second quarter, the teams traded blows through the remainder of the half, with Norwich carrying a narrow 5-4 edge before Saint Joseph's leveled the score just before halftime.

The back-and-forth continued into the third quarter.  Goals from Ricker and Zemianek kept Norwich in front briefly, but three straight scores by the Monks turned the tide and gave the visitors a 9-7 lead.

With under five minutes to go in the third, Norwich launched the game's decisive run.  Archambault found the back of the net off a feed from Fielder to cut the deficit to one.  Just over three minutes later, Fielder buried her third of the evening to tie the game, before Gutke finished a pinpoint pass from behind the cage by Ellie Moriarty (Stowe, Vt.) to put Norwich in front, 10-9.

Ricker added what proved to be the game-winner early in the fourth quarter off a gorgeous transition sequence.  After Fielder forced a turnover at midfield, Zemianek and Moriarty executed a two-on-one perfectly to find Ricker cutting through the slot for the finish.

Saint Joseph's added one final goal with under five minutes remaining, but the Cadet defense clamped down.  Manning-Ingala made two critical saves, while Ricker and Juneau combined for three caused turnovers in the final minutes to lock up the win.

The result not only snapped a long losing streak to the Monks but also continued Norwich's positioning as the lone remaining unbeaten team in GNAC play across both divisions.  The Cadets' 13 wins mark the second-highest total in program history, trailing only the 14-win campaign in 2012.

Norwich will look to keep rolling on Saturday, Apr. 19, with a divisional road trip to Rivier University for a 3:00 p.m. showdown.  The Cadets then close the regular season at home against Emmanuel College, currently second in the GNAC North, on Tuesday, Apr. 22, in a matchup that could decide the divisional crown.