MERION STATION, Pa. – Junior forward Jackalyn Pauling broke a scoreless deadlock with just over 20 minutes remaining in the second half and freshman midfielder Doris Offerhaus added an insurance goal two minutes later to lead the Saint Joseph's field hockey team past La Salle, 2-0, at Ellen Ryan Field on Sunday afternoon.

“[Today's win] was huge,” head coach Lynn Farquhar said.  “It's a conference game.  All of our Atlantic 10 opponents are strong, and we had to be ready to go.”

Saint Joseph's (5-3 overall, 1-0 Atlantic 10) dominated play in both halves, but La Salle's Rachel Hartman made four saves in the first half to keep the game scoreless.  The Hawks outshot the Explorers, 12-2, but were not able to find the cage.

La Salle (3-4 overall, 1-1 Atlantic 10) had the first big scoring opportunity of the second half as Kendall Kreider broke free and fired a long shot in on goal.  Freshman Victoria Kammerinke was there for the stop, making her only save of the afternoon to keep things level.

All the hard work finally paid off for the Hawks with 20:11 left on the clock as Pauling inserted a penalty corner and then drifted toward the cage, picking up the rebound after sophomore forward Anna Willocks hit the post with a blast.

Pauling has made a habit of scoring against the Explorers; she has now tallied a goal in each of the three games between the teams during her time on Hawk Hill.

Offerhaus then gave the Hawks some breathing room, taking a feed from classmate Pepa Serrano and firing a low shot from the top of the circle that beat Hartman stick-side.

From there, SJU held the Explorers without a shot while peppering the La Salle cage, forcing Hartman into eight saves.  She finished the afternoon with 12.

The Hawks enjoyed a 25-3 advantage in shots on the day, and earned 11 penalty corners to just two for the Explorers.

For the third time in their last four home games, the Hawks took over the game in the second half.  On September 2 against Bucknell, SJU turned a 1-0 halftime lead into a 4-0 rout; two days later, a scoreless tie at the break turned into another 4-0 win over Villanova.

“That is the magical question,” Farquhar said of her team's propensity for second-half dominance.  “For us, it's about staying in it, and finding a way by the end of the game [to come away with a win].”

Saint Joseph's will head to Saint Louis for a Friday night tilt against the Billikens.  Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. Eastern.