MERION STATION, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's field hockey team raced out to an early lead and then held on for a 5-4 win over UMass at Ellen Ryan Field on Saturday afternoon in the regular season finale for both teams.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (4-2 overall, 3-1 Atlantic 10) dominated possession in the first quarter and earned a 4-0 advantage in penalty corner opportunities, but it wasn't until the 4:02 mark that the Hawks finally cashed in, as Katelyn Cocco tipped a ball from Katy Benton into the cage for the 1-0 lead.

• Sara Hayes doubled the lead three minutes later as she deflected a tipped ball by Jess Maute past goalkeeper Brooke Richards to make it 2-0 after one.

• The Hawks kept up the momentum as Anna Miller found Jordan Olenginski in front of the cage for a 3-0 lead just two minutes into the second quarter.  Olenginski would then set up Hayes on a break to make it 4-0 in favor of the Crimson and Gray with just under nine minutes to go in the half.

• The second half started out much the same, as Miller would get a goal of her own on a pass from Leigh James to make it a 5-0 margin midway through the third, but the visitors would not go down without a fight, as Jess Beech converted a penalty stroke to get the Minutewomen on the board.

• UMass (7-4 overall, 3-2 Atlantic 10) made a late run, scoring three times in the fourth quarter.  Beech doubled her tally for the day when she slotted home a rebound, and then Georgie McTear got the visitors within two on a penalty corner with 10:27 to go.

• After the Minutewomen pulled Richards in favor of an extra field player, Steph Gottwals made it a one-goal game in the final minute, but the Hawks were able to see out the closing seconds to secure the victory.

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Robin Bleekemolen made four saves in the cage for the Hawks.

• UMass outshout SJU 9-3 in the fourth quarter, which translated into a 15-14 advantage for the game.  The Minutewomen also earned 11 penalty corners – with eight of them coming in the fourth quarter alone – to eight for the Hawks.

UP NEXT
The Atlantic 10 will announce the four-team field for the Atlantic 10 Championship on Sunday.