April 2, 2008

Box Score

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - A slow first half was too much to overcome as Saint Joseph's (6-5, 1-1 Atlantic 10) fell at Rutgers, 14-8, on Wednesday afternoon in women's lacrosse. The Hawks traded goals with the Scarlet Knights, until Rutgers (5-6) pulled away for a four-goal margin from which SJU could never recover. Saint Joseph's was led by Jenna Martino as she tallied three goals in the loss.

After SJU and Rutgers were tied 3-3, the Knights went on a 3-0 run in the middle of the first half. The Hawks were backed by goals from Jessica Westlake and two from Martino. For Westlake it was her ninth goal of the season, while Martino recorded her 29th and 30th scores, respectively.

SJU fought back with two late goals in the half while Rutgers squeezed in a goal between the pair for a 7-5 halftime deficit. Junior Kelly Huether got into the mix scoring the Hawks' fourth goal of the game and her 10th of the season off an assist from Abby Renninger. Before the half ended, Lindsey-Kate McCool netted a goal, assisted by Huether.

In the second half, any momentum Saint Joseph's had was quickly crushed as the Knights rolled to a 10-5 lead in the first nine minutes of the half. SJU didn't go down without a fight though as senior tri-captain Christina Colangelo tallied her 23rd goal of the season with 20:39 remaining to pull the Hawks within four.

Despite repeated attempts on goal, Saint Joseph's couldn't put anything else on the board and Rutgers finally capitalized on SJU's inept shot making to stretch the lead to 11-6 with 14:15 to go. Martino knocked home her third goal of the game with just over 11 minutes remaining to cut the lead again to four. Her tally marked the sixth occasion in which she scored three or more goals.

Rutgers responded with two goals just a minute apart to make it 13-7, the largest lead of the game. McCool fired back with her second goal of the game with 5:23 remaining. Rutgers didn't let that stand long as just two minutes later the Knights scored again for the final 14-8 score line.

The Crimson and Gray will return to Finnesey Field to take on La Salle in an Atlantic 10 matchup, Sunday at noon. SJU will be celebrating its former players on Alumni Appreciation Day.