FAIRFAX, Va. - Junior forward Olivia McEachern scored in the seventh minute and the Saint Joseph's defense kept George Mason at a distance from there as the Hawks topped the Patriots, 1-0, Friday in Atlantic 10 women's soccer action at George Mason Stadium. Earning the win in goal, junior Allison Ebling set the team's single-season record for wins with her 11th this year.

With the win, Saint Joseph's improved to 11-8-0 overall and 4-4-0 in the Atlantic 10 and moved the team into strong contention for a conference postseason berth. With the regular season now over, the Hawks' season will depend on scores Friday and Sunday throughout the rest of the league.

Versus the Patriots, Saint Joseph's got momentum early on McEachern's fifth goal of the season. Played up the middle of the field by Meghan DiPippa, the sophomore dropped a pass to classmate Emily Gingrich. Dribbling throught traffic, Gingrich served the ball to McEachern, who took the ball in stride at the top of the box and drilled a shot to the upper left at 6:58 to make it 1-0.

From there, Ebling and the defense took over. Denying all seven chances by George Mason, the Hawks earned their eighth shutout of the year and in doing so, ended the Patriots' chances at a postseason bid.

For the game, George Mason (4-11-2, 2-4-2 A-10)  finished with a 7-5 edge in shots on net, with SJU having a 16-11 edge on overall shots.

Saint Joseph's now waits to see if its A-10 Tournament hopes come true.