PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse team (5-5, 0-2 A-10) returns to Atlantic 10 action this Friday, April 3 at George Washington (3-7, 1-1 A-10) when the Hawks face the Colonials at 2:00 p.m. at the GW Lacrosse Field.
NOTE: This game was originally scheduled for 4:00 p.m. but has been moved up due to weather concerns.
Live streaming ($) will be available via a subscription to the Atlantic 10 Digital Network. while live stats will be provided via GWSports.com.
Friday's game should prove to be an offensive battle, as the Atlantic 10's top two goal scorers will face off in league action; GW's Rachel Mia currently leads the conference in goals per game with 3.0 per contest while SJU junior midfielder Kelly Phelan averages 2.50 goals per game.
Saint Joseph's leads the conference and ranks 25th nationally in draw controls at 12.80 per game, led by Phelan's 3.88 per contest. The Hawks also rank third in the league in both caused turnovers (9.60) and scoring offense (10.70), led in those respective categories by the junior duo of defender Caroline Hagan, ranking fourth at 1.40 caused turnovers per game, and Phelan, ranking second in goals per game (2.50) and third in points per game (3.25).
Nationally, Saint Joseph's senior goalkeeper Nora McGeever ranks 14th in saves per game (9.00) and 19th in total saves (90), which ranks her second in the A-10 for both categories.
LEADING HAWKS
Heading into Friday's game, sophomore midfielder Sarah Smith and junior midfielder Kelly Phelan have scored 20 goals apiece; Smith has also dished out a team-high eight assists while Phelan's 31 draw controls lead the Crimson and Gray. Sophomore attack Nora McCallion (14G, 7A) rounds out SJU's 20+ point members.
On the defensive end of the field, juniors Caroline Hagan (19GB, 14CT), Courtney Emanuele (16G, 8A), and Mallory Grey (11GB, 11CT) have combined for 46 ground balls and 35 caused turnovers. Senior goalkeeper Nora McGeever (5-5, 0-2 A-10) owns a 10.77 goals-against average and .448 save percentage in 618:27 to go with a team-best 22 ground balls.
SCOUTING GEORGE WASHINGTON
The Colonials (3-7, 0-2 A-10) went 2-6 in non-conference play with wins over Yale (13-5) and Mount St. Mary's (18-12) and losses to #17 Johns Hopkins (16-3), Liberty (17-13), Navy (14-3), Oregon (8-6), Delaware (15-4), and California (15-11). In A-10 play, the Colonials edged out Davidson (11-10) before dropping their most recent outing at La Salle (10-8).
For the season, Rachel Mia's 30 goals lead the squad while the Colonials are paced in points by Jamie Bumgardner (13G, 18A). Bumgardner (3G, 3A) and Michaela Lynch (3G, 2A) have sparked George Washington's offense in A-10 action. Goalkeeper Mackenzie Jones (2-7, 1-1 A-10) owns a 12.33 goals-against average and .370 save percentage in 530:27.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST THE COLONIALS
George Washington owns a 10-3 all-time series advantage over Saint Joseph's as Friday's game will mark the 14th meeting between the Colonials and Hawks. Last season, the Hawks fell, 14-10, in the season finale; returning scorers from that game include Nora McCallion (4), Kelly Phelan (2), Bianca Angstadt (2), and Julia Falcone (1). SJU's last win came in the form of an 11-8 victory on April 17, 2009.
LAST TIME OUT
Recap | Box Score
Junior midfielder Kelly Phelan and sophomore midfielder Katelyn Ambrose scored two goals apiece, but the Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse team ultimately fell to Richmond, 13-6, in Atlantic 10 action at Robins Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Senior goalkeeper Nora McGeever made 10 saves, including six in the first-half, in a full-game effort.
ATLANTIC 10 ACTION
Saint Joseph's is 0-2 in the Atlantic 10 and will play its second of four consecutive road games at George Washington this Friday. The Hawks will then close out their road slate at Duquesne (4/10) and St. Bonaventure (4/12) before coming 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 5-5 overall; SJU's program record for wins in a season is 10, set in 2009.
STARTING SEVEN
Saint Joseph's has seen seven Hawks start all 10 games so far this season. The sophomore trio of attack Nora McCallion and midfielders Katelyn Ambrose and Sarah Smith have sparked 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 ten starts in net and has seen all but 8:38 between the pipes this season.
HAVOC WITH HAGAN
Junior defender Caroline Hagan has launched herself into SJU's all-time recordbook for career caused turnovers having posted 14 through 10 games this season and sparked by a career-high five-CT effort against George Mason on March 27. Hagan's 48 career caused turnovers ties her for ninth all-time on Hawk Hill.
SOARING WITH SMITH
Sophomore midfielder Sarah Smith 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, 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!
