The Saint Joseph's field hockey team wraps up its regular season slate this week with a pair of matchups at Ellen Ryan Field. On Friday, the Hawks close out Atlantic 10 play against crosstown rival La Salle at 3:00 p.m. Saturday sees 14th-ranked Syracuse visit Hawk Hill for a 3:00 p.m. start; Saturday's game also marks the annual Senior Day celebration as the Hawks honor Joely Helder, Monica Tice, and Anna Willocks prior to the game.
#12 Saint Joseph's vs. La Salle
Friday, October 26 | Ellen Ryan Field | 3:00 p.m.
ESPN+ (U.S.) | A-10 Network (Int'l) | Live Stats
• Saint Joseph's (14-2 overall, 7-0 Atlantic 10) is ranked 12th once again in this week's Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll. The Hawks held steady after a pair of conference wins ran their winning streak to 10 games. SJU has been ranked in each of this season's nine Coaches Polls.
• Last Tuesday, freshman Tonya Botherway tallied a goal and two assists as the Hawks blanked Davidson, 4-0, in a game rescheduled from September due to Hurricane Florence. Four days later, the Hawks notched another shutout, holding Saint Louis to just two shots en route to a 5-0 victory. Sophomore Sara Hayes posted her first career hat trick in the game, while Willocks added a goal and an assist as well.
• Botherway remains the Hawks' leader with 17 goals and 43 points on the season. She ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in goals scored and second in points; she is also fourth in Division I in points per game and seventh in goals per game.
• Willocks ranks second on the team and fourth in the league with 13 goals and 31 points. Hayes and sophomore Emily Henry have tallied eight and seven goals, respectively.
• Junior Pepa Serrano leads the Atlantic 10 in assists and seventh in Division I in assists per game. Botherway checks in with nine, while sophomore Jordan Olenginski has added seven helpers and freshman Johanna Huse has chipped in with six. Willocks, Tice, and junior Kathrin Bentz have notched five assists apiece as well.
• Junior Victoria Kammerinke has been a stalwart in the cage once again, leading the nation with nine shutouts. On Saturday, she recorded the 42nd win of her career, tops in program history, while also setting a new single-season shutout mark. Kammerinke leads the Atlantic 10 and ranks among the national leaders with a 0.94 goals against average and a .779 save percentage.
• La Salle (8-8 overall, 2-4 Atlantic 10) has won two in a row and three out of four to stay in the hunt for a berth in the Atlantic 10 Championship, to be held next week at Ellen Ryan Field. Last time out, the Explorers topped Rider, 2-1, on Tuesday afternoon. Mackenzie Karcher gave the Explorers an early lead before Lauren Leichleitner doubled it early in the second half. Emelynn Sneary made five saves to keep the Broncs at bay and preserve the win.
• Karcher leads the Explorers with seven goals, while Logan Oh paces the team with 20 points. Oh and Amanda Chapin are tied for the team lead in assists, with each notching eight so far this season; while Oh and Rialee Allen are second on the squad with six goals each.
• Sneary has startd the past four games for La Salle and has posted a 1.54 GAA and .714 save percentage in seven appearances on the season. Emma Provost started the first 12 contests, checking in with a 2.26 GAA and two shutouts.
• The Hawks hold a 29-16 all-time mark against the Explorers and have won three in a row in the series.
#12 Saint Joseph's vs. #14 Syracuse
Saturday, October 27 | Ellen Ryan Field | 3:00 p.m.
ESPN+ (U.S.) | A-10 Network (Int'l) | Live Stats
• Syracuse (8-6) moved up one spot to 14th in this week's Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll. The Orange have been ranked in every NFHCA poll in the past 10 seasons.
• The Orange dropped its only contest of the week, a 3-2 double-overtime heartbreaker against Louisville on Friday. Roos Weers scored both Syracuse goals to give the hosts a 2-1 lead, but the Cardinals would ultimately tally the game-winner with 33 seconds remaining in the second overtime period.
• Weers leads the Orange in both goals and points, with nine and 21, respectively; Chiara Gutsche is second with eight goals and 16 points. Carolin Hoffmann and Tess Queen lead the way in assists, as Hoffmann has tallied six and Queen five.
• Borg van der Velde has seen the bulk of the action in the cage for the Orange, posting a 1.76 GAA to go with a .716 save percentage and two shutouts.
• Syracuse will be seeded seventh in next week's ACC Championship, to be held at North Carolina. The Orange will meet second-seeded and third-ranked Duke on November 1.
• The Orange won the only previous meeting between the programs, claiming a 3-0 victory in 1997. The Hawks played a neutral-site game earlier this season at Syracuse's J.S. Coyne Stadium, falling to Duke on September 16.
