PHILADELPHIA - Behind a season-high five goals, the Saint Joseph's women's soccer team continued its impressive start to Atlantic 10 play as the Hawks topped Richmond, 5-2, Thursday evening at Sweeney Field.
Entering the night unbeaten in its last 12 matches, Saint Joseph's (11-1-2, 4-0-1 A-10) got off to a good start as sophomore Dakota Mills netted her 10th goal of the year. Off a set piece in the middle of the field, sophomore Paige Bergman played the ball to the top of the Richmond box, allowing classmate Taylor Ryan to push the ball forward toward the goal line. Mills captured the pass from Ryan and quickly flicked a shot past the goalkeeper to make it 1-0 at 9:18.
The Hawks extended their lead to 2-0 at 25:49 as senior Emily Gingrich scored the first of two goals on the night off a pass from Mills.
Richmond (7-6-1, 2-3-0 A-10) answered back a short time later as Meaghan Carrigan tapped in a lead pass to make it 2-1 at 31:34.
Both teams would have several more first-half scoring chances, but couldn't break through.
Fighting for momentum to start the second period, the Hawks added to their lead at 52:43 as Gingrich connected on a crossing pass from classmate Shannon Mulvey, deflecting the ball into the far left goal to make it 3-1.
Again the Spiders cut through the Hawks' control, this time making it a 3-2 at 68:36. Off a blocked shot by teammate Lexi Prillaman, Keaira Clark followed with a shot off the rebound to the right side that slipped over the goal line to make it a one-goal match.
Saint Joseph's quickly recovered and push its lead to two soon after. Junior Lauren Dimes collected a pass from Mills and drilled a shot from 30 yards out to the upper left corner to extend the advantage to 4-2 at 71:36.
Mills added her 11th goal of the season at 83:55 off a pass from Bridget Galen to help seal the victory.
For the game, Saint Joseph's finished with a 24-14 edge in shots with both teams earning three corner kicks apiece.
In net, freshman Cameron Perrott made three saves on the night to improve to 11-1-2 on the year and tie for the second-most wins in a single-season.
Mills' two tallies moved her into a tie for fourth most goals in a single year with 11, while she improved to sixth all-time in career goals with 21. Adding to her all-time lead, Gingrich extended her program record for point and goals to 95 and 40, respectively.
The Hawks return to action at reigning A-10 champion Duquesne on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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