March 28, 2013

PHILADELPHIA - Jumping out to its best start in program history, the Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse team (6-3) will open Atlantic 10 conference action against Temple (5-4) this Friday afternoon. Game time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Finnesey Field.

Live stats wil be provided through GameTracker.

Saint Joseph's will look for its fourth win against Temple in program history as the Hawks stand 3-11 all-time against the Owls. On April 20 of last season, the Hawks fell, 19-11, at Geasey Field. [Julia] Falcone netted three goals for the Hawks while [Val] Paolucci added two.

Temple enters tomorrow's game coming off of a 15-11 loss at Delaware on Wednesday evening. Stephany Parcell scored four goals and added three assists for the Owls while Jaymie Tabor and Megan Pinkerton registered two goals apiece. Pinkerton led Temple with two ground balls while Nicole Tiernan grabbed five draw controls. Meghan Clothier (4-3) took the loss in goal, making five saves but allowing 10 goals in 43:19 of action.

On the season, Tabor and Parcell lead the Owls in scoring with 18 and 17 goals, respectively, while Parcell also has a team-high 11 assists. Charlotte Swavola has picked up a team-high 19 ground balls while Kara Stroup has caused 11 turnovers. In all nine starts, Clothier sports a .376 saves percentage and 10.33 goals-against average.

Turning of the Tides: Jumping out to a 6-3 record at the conclusion of the non-conference portion of the regular season, Saint Joseph's has made its best start in its 20-year program history. The Hawks won their first two games of the season for the first time since 2001 and, with their most recent 16-13 win over Saint Mary's on March 22, collected their sixth win of the season to surpass their combined amount of wins from 2012. Offensively, the numbers have not significantly changed from last season to this season; the 2013 Hawks have scored 95 goals in comparison to 94 goals through nine games in 2012. From a numbers standpoint, the success seems to be driving from a much-improved defensive effort. Last season, the Hawks were 4-5 after allowing 85 goals through nine games. This season, the Hawks are 6-3 after allowing just 61 goals through nine games. Saint Joseph's went from allowing 9.44 goals per game to 6.78 goals per game - in just one season.

Defensive Dominance: For games played through March 24, the Saint Joseph's defense comprised of senior Alexa Matthews and juniors Brittany Hanrahan, Allison Heath, and Kaitlyn McSwiggan ranks fourth in the nation in scoring defense, behind just Stony Brook, Florida, and Rutgers, allowing just 6.78 goals per game. The veteran quartet of defenders has combined for 37 percent (60-of-162) of SJU's ground balls and 47 percent (33-of-71) of its caused turnovers.

McDevitt's Moves: At the start of the season, Coach Roessler stated that she had great expectations of leadership from her star attack, graduate student Meghan McDevitt. Leading the team in both goals (20) and assists (14), McDevitt has lived up to those expectations as she has compiled 34 points just over halfway through the season. Over the first six games of the season, McDevitt led the squad with 2.83 goals per game to help the Hawks to their best start (5-1) in program history and currently ties for third in the A-10 with 1.56 assists per game and ranks fourth with 3.78 points per game.

"Attack"ing The Record Books: In Saint Joseph's 8-6 win over Manhattan on March 9, McDevitt netted her third of four goals at the 2:02 mark of the first half. With that goal, McDevitt took sole possession of 10th place on SJU's all-time career goals list with 80. Standing at 84 career goals, the attack is just four goals shy of tying Jen Peters (2009-12) and Jessica Huffman (1993-95) for ninth all-time. McDevitt also ranks in career assists, points, and shots and is just two dishes shy of breaking into the all-time single-season record books in assists.

                    Career Goals:                              Career Assists:
                    8. [Jen] Peters (2009-12)............88    2. [Lindsey-Kate] McCool (2005-08)..65
                       [Jessica] Huffman (1993-95).......88    3. [Shannon] Hungate (2000-03)......57
                    10. Meghan McDevitt (2009-present)...84    4. Meghan McDevitt (2009-present)...49
                    Career Points:                             Career Shots:
                    6. [Grace] Dinn (2009-12)...........141    7. [Brett] Dymarczyk (2000-03)......258
                    7. [Lindsey-Kate] McCool (2005-08)..140    8. [Jen] Peters (2009-12)...........218
                    8. Meghan McDevitt (2009-present)...133    9. Meghan McDevitt (2009-present)...186

Falcone's Flight: Midfielder Julia Falcone is having herself a standout sophomore campaign on both the offensive and defensive ends of the field. Starting all nine games in the midfield, Falcone ties for second on the team in goals (19) and has picked up a team-high 22 ground balls on the season, ranking fifth in the A-10 with 2.44 ground balls per game. Falcone stands as the only Hawk to have recorded at least one goal in every game this season - including six multi-goal games, two in which she registered four goals apiece.

Val's Victories: Junior midfielder Val Paolucci has stepped up in the midfield this season as she ties with Falcone for second on the team in goals (19) and ranks third on the team in assists (eight). After coming in off of the bench her first two seasons on Hawk Hill, Paolucci has started every game in 2013 en route to posting at least one goal in all but one game on the season - including five multi-goal games, two in which she recorded hat-tricks and two in which she recorded four goals apiece - including her four-goal effort in Saint Joseph's most recent 16-13 victory over Saint Mary's.

Abby's Advantage: Ranking third in the A-10 with 3.44 draw controls per game, junior attack Abby Ananian boasts a team-high 31 draw controls - but it's when she grabs those draw controls that count the most. In Saint Joseph's three losses, Ananian was held to 1.66 draw controls per game. On the other hand, in SJU's six wins, Ananian averaged 4.33 draw controls per game.

"She has a knack for getting the ball no matter where it goes," said head coach Denise Roessler. "She works on it weekly. It's good to have it, because when you have the draw, you have possession."

Rookies Respond: The freshman on the squad have taken advantage of their opportunities on the field this season. Attack Bianca Angstadt has seen seven starts in eight games, having only sat the Saint Mary's game due to injury. In those eight games, Angstadt scored seven goals, which ranks her first of all freshmen and fourth on the team in scoring. The freshman has one assist to her name in addition to four ground balls and nine draw controls. Fellow rookie attack Bonnie McShane made her first start for the Hawks against Saint Mary's in place of the injured Angstadt en route to a two-goal, three-assist performance that earned her Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors (3/26). Defender Caroline Hagan, who has gotten the starting nod in the past three games, leads the team with 11 caused turnovers and ranks fourth in the A-10 with 1.57 caused turnovers per game while goalkeeper Genevieve Giblin has earned the starting spot between the pipes for the Hawks, holding a 5-3 record and 6.71 goals against average, which ranks her fifth nationally.

Before They Were Hawks: Four SJU duos have come to Hawk Hill after having played together as teammates in high school.
Archbishop Carroll (Wayne, Pa.) - Senior attack Maggie Mauer, sophomore goalkeeper Nora McGeever
Georgetown Visitation Prep (Washington, D.C.) - Giblin, freshman defender Mary Margaret Tonner
Hillsborough (Hillsborough, N.J.) - Sophomore attack Gianna Minutillo, freshman midfielder Courtney Emanuele
Manheim Township (Lancaster, Pa.) - McDevitt, sophomore defender Molly Curcio