PHILADELPHIA – After playing four consecutive road games, the Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse team (5-8, 0-5 A-10) will return to Sweeney Field for its first home game since March 27 to host Massachusetts and Davidson this weekend. Live streaming ($) of both games will be available via a subscription to the Atlantic 10 Digital Network while live stats will be provided via SJUHawks.com.
Saint Joseph's will first face Massachusetts (12-1, 4-0 A-10) this Friday, April 17. Start time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Sweeney Field.
On Sunday, the Hawks will host Davidson (4-8, 1-3 A-10) at noon on Sweeney Field; the Wildcats will first play at La Salle this Friday. The meeting will be the first between the Hawks and Wildcats in 20 years.
The Hawks lead the conference in draw controls per game (13.15), led by junior midfielder Kelly Phelan's 3.18 per outing, which ranks her fifth in the league. Saint Joseph's also sits second in caused turnovers per game at 9.62 per contest, led by junior Caroline Hagan's 1.46 per game, which ranks third in the conference.
LEADING HAWKS
Heading into this weekend's pair of home games, junior midfielder Kelly Phelan (27G, 8A) and sophomore midfielder Sarah Smith (22G, 8A) account for 37 percent of SJU's goals (49-of-124); Phelan also leads the squad in draw controls (35) while Smith matches a team-best five FPG in a team-high 15 attempts. Sophomore attack Nora McCallion (15G, 8A) rounds out SJU's 20+ point members.
On the defensive end of the field, juniors Caroline Hagan (24GB, 19CT) and Courtney Emanuele (22GB, 15CT) have combined for 46 ground balls and 34 caused turnovers while classmate Mallory Grey has earned 30 draw controls in 13 appearances. Senior goalkeeper Nora McGeever (5-8, 0-5 A-10) owns an 11.35 goals against average and .417 save percentage in 745:13 to go with a team-best 27 ground balls.
SCOUTING...
...THE MINUTEWOMEN: UMass is 12-1 overall and 4-0 in the Atlantic 10. The Minutewomen posted an 8-1 non-conference record with wins over UMass-Lowell (18-4), UConn (7-6 2OT), New Hampshire (12-7), Boston (7-2), Holy Cross (11-3), Drexel (9-4), Yale (9-3), and Vermont (16-7) and a loss at then-#20 Albany (7-4). UMass has won all four conference games over Duquesne (10-2), George Mason (17-7), St. Bonaventure (18-8), and Davidson (19-4). Hannah Murphy (32G, 5A), and Erika Eipp (23G, 12A) lead the Minutewomen in scoring while Rachel Vallarelli (12-1, 4-0 A-10) owns a 4.60 goals against average and .570 save percentage in 717:50. UMass leads the conference in nearly all categories, including win percentage (.923), scoring offense, scoring margin, scoring defense, saves percentage, caused turnovers and ground balls per game.
...THE WILDCATS: Davidson is 4-8 overall and 1-3 in the Atlantic 10. The Wildcats posted a 3-5 non-conference record with wins over Kennesaw State (21-4), Saint Francis Pa. (17-9), and Bucknell (12-11) and losses to Navy (16-11), Old Dominion (10-8), High Point (9-7), Elon (10-5), and then-#5 Duke (13-6). In conference play, the Wildcats fell to George Washington (11-10) and Richmond (6-5 OT) before downing George Mason (9-7) and most recently falling to UMass (19-4). Emily Rademacher (19G, 7A) leads Davidson in scoring while Katy Boyle (4-8, 1-3 A-10) owns a 10.31 goals against average and .445 save percentage in 709:49.
SERIES HISTORY...
...AGAINST THE MINUTEWOMEN: UMass owns an 18-2 all-time series advantage over Saint Joseph's as Friday's game will mark the 21st meeting between the Minutewomen and Hawks. Last season, the Hawks fell, 18-2, to then-#11 UMass in Amherst; returning scorers from that game include Kelly Phelan and Nora McCallion. Saint Joseph's last win came in the form of a 10-7 victory on April 10, 2005.
...AGAINST THE WILDCATS: Saint Joseph's owns a 2-0 all-time series edge over Davidson as Sunday's game will mark the third meeting between the Hawks and Wildcats. The last meeting between the two squads happened on March 7, 1995, and the Hawks took the 17-8 victory.
LAST TIME OUT
Recap | Box Score
Five consecutive goals over an eight and a half minute span put St. Bonaventure ahead to stay as the Bonnies topped the Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse team, 15-10, at the Marra Athletic Complex last Sunday, April 12. Junior midfielder Kelly Phelan paced the Hawks with three goals on the day, while sophomore defender Maggie Egan tallied four points. Junior defender Courtney Emanuele registered a career-high four ground balls and a career-high four caused turnovers.
ATLANTIC 10 ACTION
Saint Joseph's is 0-5 in the Atlantic 10 and, after closing out a four-game road stretch, returns home to host UMass (4/17), Davidson (4/19), and La Salle (4/24). The Hawks went 2-5 in the A-10 in 2014.
FIVE WINS . . . AND COUNTING
The Hawks posted a 5-3 non-conference record to own five victories heading into their Atlantic 10 slate, which had already matched SJU's total amount of wins from the 2014 season. The Hawks are currently 5-8 overall with three games remaining in the 2015 regular season; SJU's program record for wins in a season is 10, set in 2009.
STARTING SIX
Saint Joseph's has seen six Hawks start all 13 games so far this season. The sophomore duo of attack Nora McCallion and midfielder Sarah Smith have sparked SJU's offensive unit while SJU's junior trio of Courtney Emanuele, Mallory Grey, and Caroline Hagan have anchored the back line. Senior goalkeeper Nora McGeever has made all 13 starts in net and has seen all but 61:52 between the pipes this season.
SCORING SOPHOMORES
The sophomore trio of Sarah Smith (22G), Nora McCallion (15G), and Maggie Egan (13G) have combined for 50 of SJU's 134 total goals through 13 games and rank second, third, and fourth, respectively, in goal scoring for the Crimson and Gray.
HAVOC WITH HAGAN
Junior defender Caroline Hagan has launched herself into SJU's all-time recordbook for career caused turnovers having posted 19 through 13 games this season and sparked by a career-high five-CT effort against George Mason on March 27. Hagan's 53 career caused turnovers ties her for seventh all-time on Hawk Hill.
SOARING WITH SMITH
Sophomore midfielder Sarah Smith factored into 50% of SJU's goals in the Hawks' 14-11 win over Monmouth on March 14. Smith registered a career-high seven points on a career-high five goals and career-high two assists to lead Saint Joseph's to its first road win of the season and fourth overall victory.
NO FAILIN' WITH PHELAN
In both of SJU's two overtime victories to start the season, 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.
MCGEEVER IN THE NEWS
Senior goalkeeper Nora McGeever was recently featured in The Times Herald, courtesy of Tom Layberger. To read the piece, click here!
