April 12, 2013
Box Score
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PHILADELPHIA - Trailing 7-6 at the half, the women's lacrosse team ignited for a 7-2 run in the second half to earn its second Atlantic 10 win of the season as the Hawks defeated the Explorers of La Salle, 13-10, on Friday afternoon at Finnesey Field. The win marks the first time since 2009 that the Hawks have won two Atlantic 10 games in one season as Saint Joseph's now stands at 8-5 overall and 2-2 in league play.
"I don't think there are words to describe how excited we are as a team," said head coach Denise Roessler. "They worked really hard this week on moving the ball and their spacing and just working together as a team to win games. Without a doubt, it's one of the best games I've seen them play to date."
Down one goal coming out of halftime, Saint Joseph's freshman attack Emily Bowers and sophomore midfielder Julia Falcone combined for back-to-back goals (29:00, 27:16) just three minutes into the second half to take an 8-7 lead.
La Salle (8-5, 0-4 A-10) responded with a goal at the 24:51 mark to tie the game at eight goals apiece, but the Hawks would go on a 4-0 run over the next six minutes of action to take a 12-8 lead, their biggest of the game. Bowers and Falcone added one goal apiece during that run while junior attack Abby Ananian registered two goals of her own.
The Explorers recorded another goal at the 13:58 mark but sophomore midfielder Hannah Hutchins tallied her second goal in two games to bring the Hawks back up four, 13-9, with just over 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
The Crimson and Gray would allow just one more goal over the next 10:27 to preserve the 13-10 win.
Ananian's four-point effort off of three goals and an assist in combination with hat tricks from Falcone and Bowers fueled SJU's offensive attack. Graduate student Meghan McDevitt had two tallies and an assist while junior midfielder Val Paolucci dished out two assists and caused three turnovers. Falcone and Bowers also combined for seven ground balls on the defensive end while junior defender Allison Heath controlled four draws.
Freshman goalkeeper Genevieve Giblin (7-5, 2-2 A-10) made 11 saves, with seven coming in the second half, in a full 60:00.
"Genevieve was outstanding between the pipes," said Roessler. "In the second half I couldn't have asked of anything more from her than what she did. She's unbelievable. She's so composed and every game, she comes up huge."
For the game, La Salle held advantages in shots (30-24) and ground balls (20-16) and held a slight 13-12 edge in draw controls. However, dominant second-half offensive and defensive performances led SJU to the 13-10 victory.
"We just kept emphasizing to take care of the ball and to keep it moving," said Roessler of the difference in SJU's play between the first and second halves. "When the ball moves, things open up. They believed in it and they executed it."
Saint Joseph's and La Salle alternated in goal-scoring over the first 11:03 before McDevitt and Bowers netted back-to-back goals (9:56, 8:15) to give the Hawks a 5-3 lead.
The Explorers would then take off on a 4-1 run that spanned the rest of the first half to pull ahead by one, 7-6, heading into halftime.
La Salle saw a game-high four goals from Katelyn Fay.
Saint Joseph's returns to action this Sunday, April 14 when the Hawks take on #13 Massachusetts at noon on Finnesey Field. The Saint Joseph's University Athletic Department will celebrate 20 years of lacrosse by honoring the school's first women's varsity team. The members of the 1993 Hawk squad will be recognized at halftime of this game, in conjunction with Alumni and Family Day festivities. A reception for alumni and their families will follow the games at Landmark Americana Tap & Grill located on 54th Street. For more information, contact Becky Jurich at 610-660-3280 or email rjurich@sju.edu. To RSVP online, please visit alumni.sju.edu/wlax.
