MERION STATION, Pa. – Three different Hawks found the cage on Friday as the 13th-ranked Saint Joseph's field hockey team topped VCU, 3-1, on a cool and windy afternoon at Ellen Ryan Field.

Saint Joseph's (11-2 overall, 4-0 Atlantic 10) was on the front foot early, dominating possession for much of the first half, but it wasn't until midway through the frame that the Hawks were able to get on the board.  Freshman Johanna Huse sent a ball toward the cage on a penalty corner and senior Joely Helder was there to tip it past Rams goalkeeper Sasha Elliott to give the Hawks a 1-0 at the exact midpoint of the half.

VCU (7-6 overall, 4-1 Atlantic 10) had some chances late in the stanza, but junior Victoria Kammerinke came up with saves on Division I's leading scorer, Emily McNamara, and Litiana Field – the latter coming with 20 seconds to play in the half – to send SJU into the break with the narrow lead.

The Hawks pushed for a second goal and got it in the 46th minute.  Senior Anna Willocks released freshman Tonya Botherway with a pass into the circle; Botherway then went around an onrushing Elliott and sent the ball toward the cage where sophomore Emily Henry got her stick on it to double the Hawk lead to 2-0.

The Rams cut their deficit to one with 12:03 to play as Maite Sturm picked up a loose ball in front of the cage and tucked it home to make it a 2-1 game and end the Hawk defense's shutout streak at 277 minutes and 15 seconds.

It would be Willocks who would provide the key late insurance goal that put the game away.  On a penalty corner, the Hawks' eighth of the game, she sent a pass across the top of the circle to junior Pepa Serrano; Willocks then sent Serrano's return feed into the back of the cage for her 10th goal of the season and a 3-1 Saint Joseph's lead.

The Rams would have a pair of opportunities late, with Kammerinke denying Lauren Kaup with just over two minutes to play and junior Kathrin Bentz intercepting a pass in the circle in the final minute to preserve the victory.

Kammerinke finished the afternoon with five saves, while Elliott was called on to make seven.  The Hawks held advantages in both shots (15-7) and corners (8-2) on the day.

“I'm proud that we stuck to the game plan and were able to strengthen our attack by using new areas of the field,” head coach Lynn Farquhar said after the game.  “We showed a great deal of resilience through a game full of many different dynamics.  We 'found a way,' and that's a driving force for us.”

Saint Joseph's will next host Richmond at Ellen Ryan Field at noon on Sunday.