MERION STATION, Pa. – A late goal halved the deficit, but the 11th-ranked Saint Joseph's field hockey team ultimately fell short in its comeback attempt, dropping a 2-1 result to #6 Virginia at Ellen Ryan Field on Friday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Virginia (2-1) took the only two shots of the first quarter, with one of them being a penalty stroke.  Noa Boterman converted the attempt to put the visitors ahead midway through the frame.

• Neither team found the cage in the second quarter, but the Cavaliers would double their lead on a corner goal by Mia Abello with 8:21 to go.

• Saint Joseph's (2-1) ratcheted up the pressure in the fourth, pulling goalkeeper Janelle Ward for an extra attacker with just under seven minutes to play.  It paid off, as the Hawks earned four penalty corner attempts while holding UVA without a shot or a corner of their own in the quarter.

• Manu Ghigliotti hit paydirt for the Hawks with just under five minutes to play on a corner feed from Katy Benton and Lily Santi to cut the deficit in half, but SJU couldn't convert on a later corner opportunity and the visitors escaped with the victory.


BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Tyler Kennedy made three saves for Virginia while Ward made three for the Hawks.

• The Cavaliers held an 8-6 advantage in shots, while the Hawks earned five corners to Virginia's three.

• The goals scored by UVA are the first the Hawks have conceded in 2023.

UP NEXT
The Hawks host Yale on Sunday.  Game time has been moved up to a 10:30 a.m. start.