PHILADELPHIA – Senior captain Bridget Cerciello set a new career high with six goals as the Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse team rolled past crosstown rival Temple, 17-7, at Howarth Field on Wednesday afternoon.  Stephanie Kelly added a hat trick of her own, while Mikala Davis made nine saves in the cage.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (2-2) got off to a fast start offensively as Sam McGee opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game.  Kelly and Taylor Newman-Farr would tally 30 seconds apart before Cerciello bagged her first of the day and Lauren Figura added one of her own to stake the Hawks to a 5-0 lead with 12:07 to play in the first half.

• After Temple (1-3) finally got on the board, SJU ripped off six consecutive goals to close out the opening period.  Newman-Farr added her second of the game before Sophia Kolkka extended the lead to 7-1 at the 7:02 mark.  Cerciello then potted three of the next four herself, with a second tally from Kelly mixed in, to send the Hawks into the break with an 11-1 advantage.

• The Hawk defense held the Owls to just eight shots in the half, with Davis making four stops.  The Owls also committed 10 first-half turnovers, while the Hawks gave it away just four times.

• After the Owls opened the second half with a goal, Cerciello and Kelly struck again to push the Hawk margin to 11 with 24:48 to play.  The hosts then went on a mini-run of their own, scoring four consecutive goals in an 11-minute span to cut the lead to seven, but SJU regained control soon after.

• Penny Green would get in on the act before Figura notched her second and Cerciello scored number six for the day to restore the double-digit margin with three minutes to go.  The Owls would score once more, but McGee would bookend the win with the game's final goal with 1:11 to go.

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• The Hawks outshot the Owls, 34-22, and put 22 of those shots on target compared to 16 for Temple.

• Cerciello's six goals and six points were game-highs, while Kelly added two assists to turn in her second consecutive five-point performance.

• Kaela Smith set a new single-game career high of her own, handing out three assists on the day.

• Davis played nearly the full 60 for the Hawks in earning the win, while Corinne Buttner made her first appearance of the season late in relief.  Temple cycled through three goalkeepers during the game, with Maryn Lowell taking the loss.

HAWK TALK
"We were excited to play Temple; they are always a tough team, so it was important that we started out strong," Cerciello said after the game.  "Overall, it was a huge team effort all over the field.  Our defensive unit came up with big turnovers and saves throughout the game and our attack was able to capitalize on our opportunities."

UP NEXT
The Hawks are idle until February 29, when they visit Rutgers.  Game time in Piscataway, New Jersey, is set for 3:00 p.m.