The Saint Joseph's field hockey team wraps up its regular season this week as the Hawks will close out conference play at La Salle on Thursday before hosting #24 Ohio State on Sunday.  Before the home game against the Buckeyes, the Hawks will hold their annual Senior Day ceremony.

#12 Saint Joseph's at La Salle
Thursday, October 28 • 3:00 p.m. • Hank DeVincent Field, Philadelphia, Pa.
ESPN+ (U.S.) • Live Stats

#12 Saint Joseph's vs. #24 Ohio State
Sunday, October 31 • 1:00 p.m. • Ellen Ryan Field
ESPN+ (U.S.) • A-10 Network (Int'l) • Live Stats

GAME DAY LINKS
SJU: Roster | Schedule | Stats
La Salle: Roster | Schedule | Stats
Ohio State: Roster | Schedule | Stats

LAST TIME OUT: Saint Joseph's (12-4 overall, 5-1 Atlantic 10) won its lone game of the week by routing Davidson, 6-0, last Friday afternoon at Ellen Ryan Field...Lily Santi scored a pair of goals on the day, while Cassidy Atchison added three points...The Hawks outshot the Wildcats, 24-0, in posting their eighth shutout of the season and the second in which they did not concede a shot (October 3 vs. Saint Louis).

La Salle (7-9 overall, 3-3 Atlantic 10) split a pair of games, falling at #20 UMass, 7-1, on Friday before notching a 1-0 road win over Holy Cross on Sunday...Tatum Johnson's first quarter goal was the difference for the Explorers in the win over the Crusaders.

Ohio State (7-9 overall) hosted a pair of top-10 teams as #7 Penn State and #3 Rutgers visited Columbus over the weekend; the Buckeyes dropped both contests by 4-0 and 3-1 scores, respectively...It gets no easier for the Buckeyes as they will take on fourth-ranked Maryland on Friday before coming to Hawk Hill on Sunday.

LEADERS: Freke van Tilburg remains the Hawks' leading scorer with 27 points on the season, while Manu Ghigliotti ranks second with 23...Van Tilburg and Ghigliotti are tied for the team lead with 11 goals apiece as well...Katy Benton is the Hawks' leader in assists, with Atchison ranking second as well as third overall in points...Robin Bleekemolen has been a stalwart in the cage for the Hawks, posting a 1.08 goals against average to go with a .714 save percentage.

Johnson is the Explorers' leader in every category, with 10 goals, seven assists, and 27 points on the season...Sofia Pla ranks second with eight goals and 18 points, while Grace Ferriolo ranks second with six assists; her six points tie her with Casey Reilly for third on the squad...Ryan Curley has started every game between the pipes for La Salle and checks in with a 2.48 GAA and a save percentage of .701.

Leanne Bough leads OSU with five goals and 10 points...Delaney Lawler and Sammy Stone have notched a team-leading three assists apiece...Emma Golden ranks second on the squad in goals and points with four and nine, respectively...Aaliyah Hernandez and Abby Danson have split time in the cage, playing to a combined GAA of 2.06 and a .712 save percentage.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Saint Joseph's holds a 33-16 lead in the all-time series with La Salle...The Hawks have played more games against La Salle than they have against any other program, and the 33 wins are the most the Hawks have recorded against any one opponent...SJU has won seven in a row against the Explorers, including a pair of victories in the 2020-21 campaign...Sunday's meeting will be the fourth all-time between Saint Joseph's and Ohio State, and the first in 23 years...The Buckeyes hold a 2-1 edge in the series, with the Hawks winning the inaugural matchup in 1988 before OSU claimed victories in 1991 and 1998; all three previous matchups were home games for the Hawks.

NOTEWORTHY: Johnson and van Tilburg lead the Atlantic 10 in points, while van Tilburg and Ghigliotti are tied for the league lead in goals with Johnson in third...Benton ranks among the league leaders in assists as well...Bleekemolen's eight shutouts are a league-best, while she's third in the A-10 in GAA...The Hawks rank seventh in the nation in goals and points per game and lead all of Division I in penalty corners per game...Seven different Hawks have scored at least four goals this season...Kacie Patton's sister, Kylie, is a member of the Explorer squad...La Salle head coach Martu Loncarica had two stints totaling four seasons as an assistant coach on the SJU sideline; two La Salle assistants, Katie Grant and Anna Zarkoski Gueriot, were members of Saint Joseph's head coach Lynn Farquhar's first staff on Hawk Hill...Dating back to October 15, Ohio State will play five consecutive games against teams ranked in the top seven of the NFHCA Coaches Poll – all of them conference games – and will close the regular season with six in a row against teams in the top 12 after visiting Saint Joseph's.