Box Score RICHMOND, Va. – Sophomore forward Anna Willocks and freshman midfielder Pepa Serrano tallied a goal and an assist apiece as the Saint Joseph's field hockey team moved on to the Atlantic 10 championship game with a 2-1 semifinal win over Saint Francis (Pa.) at Cary Street Field on Friday.
Saint Joseph's (15-5) dominated the run of play in the first half, outshooting the Red Flash 9-0 and earning six penalty corners, but the SFU defense kept the sheet clean for the first 35 minutes.
The Hawks broke through shortly after halftime, as Willocks found Serrano on a penalty corner to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead with 29:48 remaining in the second half.
Serrano returned the favor four and a half minutes later, feeding Willocks on a give-and-go after another corner to double the SJU advantage.
Saint Francis (11-9) cut the lead in half with just under eight minutes to play as Hannah Retherford converted after a penalty corner. The Red Flash had a prime opportunity to equalize with another corner in the final minute, but freshman goalkeeper Victoria Kammerinke came through with a key save – the only one she was called on to make during the game – and the Hawks held on to punch their ticket to the title game.
SJU ended the day with a 16-2 shot advantage and earned nine corners to just two for the Red Flash. Kammerinke made one save en route to her 10th win of the season, while SFU's Elizabeth Dyer made five in defeat.
With three points on the day, Willocks became just the second Hawk to reach the 60-point plateau in a single season (Linda Buonanno, 1986). Her 24 goals are also the most by an Atlantic 10 student-athlete since current SJU associate head coach Shannon Taylor scored 30 for Richmond in 2006.
Making their first title game appearance since 2007, the Hawks await the winner of Friday's second semifinal between second-seeded Richmond and third-seeded Massachusetts. Game time on Saturday is set for 2:00 p.m.; live streaming and live stats will be available at Atlantic10.com.
