PHILADELPHIA – The Hawks will look for their first road win of the season this weekend as the Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse team (3-2) will face Monmouth (3-2) this Saturday, March 14. Start time at Kessler Field in West Long Branch, N.J. is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The game will be streamed online via ESPN3.
Both the Saint Joseph's Hawks (11.20) and the Monmouth Hawks (10.60) rank in the top 10 nationally in caused turnovers per game, sitting sixth and ninth, respectively.
SJU additionally ranks in the top 20 in draw controls per game (13.80) and save percentage (.504). Individually, senior goalkeeper Nora McGeever ranks fourth in saves per game (11.40), 12th in total saves (57), and 18th in save percentage (.504) while junior midfielder Kelly Phelan ranks 19th in draw controls per game (4.40).
LEADING HAWKS
Heading into Saturday's game, junior midfielder and Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Week Kelly Phelan leads the squad in scoring with 17 points on a team-best 14 goals and three assists to go with a team-best 22 draw controls while sophomore midfielder Sarah Smith (10G, 2A) and sophomore attack Nora McCallion (6G, team-best 5A) have also added 10+ point efforts. Smith (9GB, 9CT) and junior defenders Mallory Grey (8GB, 9CT) and Courtney Emanuele (8GB, 8CT) have led the way on the defensive end of the field while senior goalkeeper Nora McGeever (3-1) sports a 10.27 goals against average and .504 save percentage in all 327:05 to go with a team-best 12 ground balls.
SCOUTING MONMOUTH
After jumping out to a 3-0 start to the season with wins over Lafayette, 10-3, Drexel, 5-2, and Rutgers, 13-12 (2OT), the Hawks have lost back-to-back contests against Towson, 4-3, and, most recently, #20 Delaware, 14-5. Emily Barbieri (2G, 6A) leads the squad with eight points while Olivia Higson, Claudia LaMarca, and Allison Stathius have tallied seven goals apiece. Kristina Vangeli has been a weapon on the defensive end, totaling 16 draw controls, 10 ground balls, and seven caused turnovers. In goal, Katie Donohue (2-2) has seen a majority of the action, sporting a 7.35 goals against average and .492 save percentage in 261:22 of a possible 312:00.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST THE (MONMOUTH) HAWKS
Monmouth owns a 4-2 series edge as Saturday's will mark the seventh time in program history that the Hawks will meet. Despite then-sophomore Kelly Phelan's five-goal effort, Monmouth took home the 11-10 overtime win on Sweeney Field on March 26 of last season. Returning scorers from that game include Phelan (5G), Julia Falcone (2G), Emily Bowers (1), and Nora McCallion (1). Saint Joseph's last win came in the form of an 11-6 victory in March 13, 2011.
LAST TIME OUT
Recap | Box Score
Sophomore midfielder Sarah Smith scored the Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse program's first ever goal against Penn, but the Hawks ultimately fell to the 13th-ranked Quakers, 13-1, on Tuesday afternoon at Franklin Field. Junior defenders Caroline Hagan (4GB, 2CT) and Courtney Emanuele (3GB, 3CT) combined for seven of SJU's 14 ground balls and five of SJU's eight caused turnovers on the afternoon. Senior goalkeeper Nora McGeever (3-2) finished the game with 13 saves, including 10 in the second half, in the full 60:00.
NO FAILIN' WITH PHELAN
In both of SJU's two overtime victories, junior midfielder Kelly Phelan converted on the game-winning goal. Phelan scored an unassisted goal in the third overtime against American on February 18 and then went on to score the double-overtime GWG on a FPS against Wagner on March 2.
STARTING TEN
Saint Joseph's has seen 10 Hawks start all five games at this point in the early season. The sophomore, freshman attacking duo of Nora McCallion and Rena Carabases alongside junior midfielder Kelly Phelan and sophomore midfielders Katelyn Ambrose and Sarah Smith have sparked offensive unit while SJU's junior trio of Courtney Emanuele, Mallory Grey, and Caroline Hagan alongside sophomore Maggie Egan have anchored the back line. Senior goalkeeper Nora McGeever has played every minute in the cage, totaling 327:05, with the inclusion of three overtime games so far.
MCGEEVER IN THE NEWS
Senior goalkeeper Nora McGeever was featured in Tuesday's edition of The Times Herald, courtesy of Tom Layberger. To read the piece, click here!
