Sept. 5, 2004

PHILADELPHIA - It took more than two games for Saint Joseph's to find the back of the net, but a first-half goal by Hawk's sophomore Kimmy Leigh sparked SJU to a 2-0 victory over Monmouth Sunday afternoon at Finnesey Field.

In the first half, Saint Joseph's had two early scoring opportunities as both junior Erin Ryan and sophomore Ali Wean had wide-open chances as the Monmouth's goalkeeper Abby Shiffler fell down. Unfortunately for SJU, Monmouth defenders blocked both shots.

The Hawks got on the board in the 39th minute as Leigh took a crossing pass from sophomore Megan Schutt and sailed it past Shiffler from about 15 yards away.

Both teams played tight into the second half, allowing few scoring opportunities.

Following a yellow card on Monmouth, sophomore Kaiti McCaffery took a deflected shot and blasted it off a Monmouth defender and into the back of the net, giving Saint Joseph's a 2-0 lead with just under 20 minutes remaining.

The Hawks defense continued to pressure Monmouth, holding their opponent to only one shot in the final 15 minutes.

Freshman Jen Kuhn earned both her first career win and shutout, making four saves on the afternoon. Kuhn and Saint Joseph's improve to 1-2 on the season, after falling to Delaware (1-0) and Villanova (2-0). Monmouth fell to 1-2.

Saint Joseph's out shot Monmouth 16-8, as Schutt and senior Jen Harris both tallied three shots apiece for SJU.

"It was a nice feeling to play at home and have the support of our fans," said head coach Jess Reynolds. "We definitely needed that first win to give us confidence and try to keep that momentum and work from there."

SJU travels to Lehigh on Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. matchup with the Mountain Hawks.