CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A pair of second-quarter strikes from Carly Hynd powered the Saint Joseph's field hockey team past 20th-ranked Drexel, 2-0, in the Opening Round of the 2025 Division I NCAA Field Hockey Championship at Karen Shelton Stadium on Wednesday.
 
With the win, the Hawks move on to meet #1 North Carolina in the First Round on Friday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The first quarter was played mostly between the circles, but Drexel (13-8) earned a late penalty corner and put three shots on the board, forcing Paige Kieft into a save to keep it scoreless after one.
 
• Hynd opened the scoring 1:55 into the second quarter as she dribbled down the endline toward the Drexel cage.  Dealing with pressure in close, Hynd lifted the ball from a tight angle past Drexel's Halle Geiger and in for a 1-0 lead.
 
• Saint Joseph's (12-9) doubled its lead with less than four minutes to play in the half as Cat Arentz deftly snuck in behind the defense for a shot in close; Geiger was there for the stop, but Hynd crashed the cage and put the rebound home with a diving finish to send the Hawks into halftime with a two-goal lead.
 
• The Hawks held control through the third quarter before the Dragons pressed with urgency in the fourth.  Drexel earned three corners in the closing minutes of the final stanza, but the Hawk defense turned away each opportunity to see out the victory.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Kieft made two saves to secure her sixth shutout of the season.  Geiger made one save in the first half before substitute Alana Poole made two in the second.
 
• The Dragons finished with a slight 7-6 edge in shots and earned five corners to just one for the Hawks.
 
• The win is the fifth NCAA Tournament win in program history.  It's also the second win for the Hawks at Karen Shelton Stadium in NCAA Tournament play; SJU beat Wake Forest, 3-1, in the First Round in 2022.
 
• Hynd's two goals doubled her season scoring total and tie her with Tonya Botherway and Celeste Smits for second on the program's all-time NCAA Tournament scoring list.  Manu Ghigliotti is the all-time leader with four.
 
• Each of the Hawks' three postseason victories have come against teams that beat the Hawks during the regular season.
 
HAWK TALK
"Today's game was a much better performance than the last time we played Drexel," head coach Hannah Prince said.  "It was really great to see us reflect on our last game against them and also reflect on how we've been playing in the last few games and be able to make some small adjustments that helped us be successful today.
 
"We've talked a lot this season about being scrappy in the goal area, getting shots on the cage and being ready or rebounds especially, so it was great to see Carly not only flick one in from the endline but also get a scrappy rebound goal; I'm really excited about that.  I also thought our work defensively was really great, and just managing some of their key players was really crucial for our success today.
 
"Going forward, I know this group is humble and hungry and has a lot of confidence," Prince added.  "We're really excited for the matchup on Friday; it's obviously a big game, being in the Sweet 16 playing the number-one seed, but if there's anyone that is ready to show the world who we are and what Team 51 is, it's this amazingly talented, passionate, and gritty group."
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will meet the top-ranked Tar Heels on Friday at noon.