PHILADELPHIA - The second-seeded Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse squad (11-6, 7-2 A-10) will face third-seeded Richmond (13-5, 7-2 A-10) in the 2017 Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals this Friday, May 5. Opening draw is tentatively scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Sweeney Field, following the conclusion of Friday's first semifinal game between top-seeded UMass and fifth-seeded Davidson, set to begin at 1:00 p.m. 

The Hawks, coming off of a 15-12 win over George Washington last Saturday, have won six of their last seven while Richmond defeated sixth-seeded La Salle, 13-11, in Thursday's quarterfinal.

Live streaming ($) of Friday's game will be made available free of charge via the Atlantic 10 Network, while live stats will be provided at both SJUHawks.com and Atlantic10.com.

Friday's game will mark SJU's fourth postseason appearance in program history and its second in a row after reaching the 2016 A-10 semifinals with a win over Davidson in the quarters last spring. Saint Joseph's also made postseason appearances in 2009 (A-10 title game) and 2001 (A-10 semifinals).

Senior attacker Nora McCallion (47g, 20a) and junior defender Kristen Kelbon (33 ground balls, 20 caused turnovers) were tabbed to the A-10 First Team, as announced on Wednesday afternoon, while sophomore attacker Rebecca Lane (35g, 31a) and graduate student midfielder Mallory Grey (21g, 12a, 58 draw controls, 25 ground balls, 16 caused turnovers) were selected onto the Second Team. Freshman attacker Hope Anhut (31g, 3a) and freshman midfielder Julia Pash (15g, 2a, 30 draw controls, 20 ground balls, 14 caused turnovers) earned All-Rookie Team recognition.

SERIES HISTORY
Friday's game will mark the 19th all-time meeting between Saint Joseph's and Richmond; the Spiders own the all-time series, 16-2, and the Hawks are 1-2 in the series under the direction of third-year head coach Alex Kahoe.

When the teams met two weekends ago in Richmond, Va., the Spiders dominated in draw controls late to score three goals in the final 3:12 to take home a 12-11 win over the Hawks. Saint Joseph's sophomore midfielder Hayley Sabol matched a career-high four points with three goals and an assist while sophomore attacker Francesca Donato and freshman midfielder Bridget Cerciello added two goals apiece off the bench. Graduate student midfielder Mallory Grey had a solid line with three points on one goal and two assists, four ground balls, three caused turnovers, and three draw controls while junior defender Kristen Kelbon and sophomore midfielder Ally Beck combined for seven ground balls and seven caused turnovers.

SJU snapped a seven-game series losing streak with an 11-7 home win last year, backed by hat tricks from Maggie Egan, Rebecca Lane, and Nora McCallion. The program's other win against Richmond came in the 2009 A-10 semifinals.

All-Time Series Results:
2017 - L - 12-11 - Away
2016 - W - 11-7 - Home
2015 - L - 13-6 - Away         
2014 - L - 10-4 - Home
2013 - L - 13-6 - Away
2012 - L - 14-7 - Home
2011 - L - 12-6 - Away
2010 - L - 15-7 - Home
2009 - W - 11-10 - Neutral (Atlantic 10 Semifinals at Temple)
2009 - L - 12-5 - Away
2008 - L - 13-9 - Away
2007 - L - 9-7 (OT) - Home
2006 - L - 20-2 - Away
2005 - L - 15-7 - Home
2004 - L - 16-7 - Away
2003 - L - 11-7 - Home
2002 - L - 18-8 - Away
1998 - L - 17-8 - Home