LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – A tropical storm is expected to roll through Pennsylvania over the weekend, but the deluge started early for the 13th-ranked Saint Joseph's field hockey team as a three-goal first quarter powered the Hawks to a 5-3 win over Lock Haven at Charlotte E. Smith Field on Friday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (7-2 overall, 2-0 Atlantic 10) got things started quickly as Celeste Smits found Leigh James in front of the cage for the opening goal just three minutes into the game.

• Smits got on the board herself two minutes later.  After inserting on a penalty corner, she batted a deflection out of the air past LHU's Kelsey Felix to double the Hawk lead.

• Hailey Bitters scored on a rebound a minute and a half after that to make it a 3-0 Hawk lead less than seven minutes into the game.

• Lock Haven (2-6 overall, 0-2 Atlantic 10) got on the board early in the second quarter through Gracyn Catalano, who scored on a rebound.

• Bitters would restore the three-goal margin heading into halftime, taking a perfect through ball from Manu Ghigliotti and slotting it home for a 4-1 lead.

• Lily Santi got in on the scoring midway through the third quarter, beating Felix low with five minutes left in the frame, but the Bald Eagles would respond on a goal by Elien Bos on a penalty corner to make it a 5-2 game after three.

• The hosts would get one more on another corner, as Constanza Lopez Zabala cut the margin to a pair with less than five minutes to go, but that would be it.

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• SJU held a 21-5 advantage in shots on the day and earned 10 corners to just three for the Bald Eagles.

• Janelle Ward got the start in the cage on Friday, while substitute Marith Bijkerk made one save in relief.  Felix notched six stops for Lock Haven.

• Catalano's goal 54 seconds into the second quarter marked the first regular season goal conceded by the Hawks to an Atlantic 10 opponent since an overtime tally by #21 UMass in Amherst on October 15, 2021.  It breaks a shutout streak that stretched for 615:54 over the course of 11 regular season conference games and 23 months.

UP NEXT
The Hawks return to Philadelphia to visit Penn.  Game time is set for noon.