MERION STATION, Pa. – The 14th-ranked Saint Joseph's field hockey team clinched its seventh outright Atlantic 10 regular season title in eight seasons and its second consecutive perfect conference record with a 4-1 win over La Salle at Ellen Ryan Field on Friday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (14-4 overall, 7-0 Atlantic 10) opened the scoring six minutes into the contest. The Hawks were about to earn a penalty stroke for a foul in the circle, but on an advantage play,
Celeste Smits picked up the loose ball and fired home for a 1-0 lead.
•
Erika Culp netted her first of two goals on the day three minutes later, taking a pass from
Lily Santi on a corner.
• La Salle (12-5 overall, 5-2 Atlantic 10) halved the margin with a minute and a half to play in the first quarter as former Hawk
Julianna Smyth '23 converted on a penalty corner opportunity.
•
Annabel Lindemulder scored on a corner pass from
Manu Ghigliotti early in the second quarter to restore the two-goal advantage going into halftime.
• Culp bagged her second of the day with nine and a half minutes remaining in the game, redirecting a ball from Smits on a corner to close out the scoring.
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BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• The Hawks held a 13-5 advantage in shots and a 14-7 lead in corners.
•
Janelle Ward made two saves for SJU, while Emily Streib had four for the Explorers.
• The win by Saint Joseph's snapped La Salle's seven-game winning streak.
UP NEXT
The Hawks will be the top seed in the 2023 Atlantic 10 Championship, which begins on Thursday, November 2. The bracket for the tournament will be released later this evening.
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