PHILADELPHIA - The Saint Joseph's women's soccer squad downed LIU Brooklyn, 2-0, on Friday afternoon on Sweeney Field. With the win, the Hawks improve to 6-3-0 overall while the Blackbirds fall to 2-7-0.

The Hawks jumped out to an early lead in Friday's game. Senior Shannon Westhead, assisted by junior Emily Gingrich, got a shot past the Blackbirds' goalkeeper to give the Hawks the lead just 7:17 into the match.

About three and a half minutes later, Gingrich scored a goal of her own, with the assist going to senior Morgan Michon.

The SJU defense staved off the Blackbirds, allowing them only one shot on goal for the half.

“We've been working a lot this week on defense, and I thought they were really smart,” said head coach Jess Mannella. “[They] fixed a couple things we were looking for to get that shutout. They did a great job.”

Gingrich had a prime opportunity to score in the 49th minute, but LIU goalkeeper Erin Harbison dove to stop the shot before it could reach the goal.

The start of the second half was defined primarily by back-and-forth possession between the two teams. However, around the 65-minute mark, the SJU offense took control for most of the rest of the game.

The Hawks' defense again limited the Blackbird's offense, with LIU getting only eight shots during the game. The Hawks outshot the Blackbirds, 26-8.

“We really have been working hard this season,” Mannella said. “We're hoping for great things, and we really want to get to [the Atlantic 10] tournament because we think that we're good enough to win it.”

The Hawks will start conference play on Thursday when they play at George Washington.