PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse team opened Atlantic 10 play with an 18-11 win over crosstown rival La Salle at Sweeney Field on Friday afternoon.  The Hawks used a 6-0 stretch late in the second half to pull away from the Explorers and secure the win.  Stephanie Kelly scored five times, while Sam McGee and Lauren Figura netted four goals apiece.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Stephanie Kelly got the Hawks on the board with her first of the day, but the Explorers answered with three in a row to take a 3-1 lead with 26:07 to go in the first.

• Saint Joseph's (4-4 overall, 1-0 Atlantic 10) would then score three of the next four to draw level, as Kelly, Figura, and Riley Evans all lit the lamp to tie the game with 12:48 left in the half.

• La Salle (2-4 overall, 0-1 Atlantic 10) scored twice in succession to restore a two-goal edge, but Bridget Cerciello teamed up with Figura and Kelly to push the Hawks in front, 7-6, heading into the break.

• The visitors tied the game less than two minutes into the second half, but McGee scored twice around another from Figura to give the Hawks some much-needed breathing room.  The Explorers would put that to the test, getting back within one with just under 18 minutes to play, but that's when the Hawks went to work on putting some distance between themselves and the opposition.

• McGee and Cerciello restored the three-goal lead with a pair of goals 46 seconds apart, before Figura and McGee pushed the lead to 14-9 with 6:11 to go.

• Emma O'Neill and Kaela Smith capped off the run with goals to make it a 16-9 lead with 4:43 to play.

• The Explorers got two more on the board before Kelly tallied her final two goals of the day to set the final score.

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Friday's win marks the third time this season Kelly has scored at least four goals in a game.  She added three assists for an eight-point day.

• McGee's four goals – all of which came in the second half – matched a career-high, while Figura's four were a season-best.

• Amber Weedon made her first start of the season in the cage for the Hawks and made 10 saves.  Molly Loughlin made two stops for La Salle.

• Sophia Kolkka tallied a game-high four ground balls on the day.

• The Hawks enjoyed a 31-27 edge in shots while controlling the draws to the tune of a 19-12 advantage.  Julia Pash led all players with eight draw controls, while Taylor Newman-Farr added five.

UP NEXT
The Hawks will visit St. Bonaventure on Sunday.  Game time is set for 3:00 p.m.