Today was an emotional day for the SJUFH Hawks. Today we honored the four seniors. Being one of those seniors today, I could not stop smiling! We had such an amazing crowd, a great pump-up from the underclassmen, and so much support from the athletic department along with our coaching staff.

On behalf of the seniors, I would like to thank the SJU Athletic Department for all that you have given us during our four years.

To our coaching staff, who has provided so much time and dedication to the program to improve all of us as hockey players and people.

To our teammates, for being a second family to us; without all of you it would not be possible.

Lastly, to our parents; you all are there for us every day and continue to love and support us no matter our results!

Today we took on UMass, who is a solid team and nationally ranked. We knew today would be a great challenge, but the Hawks were up for it! After trailing by two at halftime, we turned it on for the second half. Knowing it would be our last time competing on Ellen Ryan Field we weren't going down without a fight.  The offense drew a corner and we executed and scored!  Shannon McNeil put it in on the tip for her first career goal. But UMass didn't let down and we just couldn't pull ahead.

The Hawks did not come out on top today but there is still hope for our season to continue! Next weekend we travel all the way back down to Virginia to play Virginia Commonwealth and return back to Philadelphia to take on Temple. Although both teams will be very competitive we need to rise above in order to have a chance for postseason play! This week at practice we are looking to perfect our play--to have solid, crisp passing, keeping the ball out of the defensive circle, and finishing on offense.

-Abby

Wow--it has been a while! The Hawks have had five games since the last blog update. It has been a busy, stressful, emotional few weeks for the Hawks as midterms took place and we've worked at staying on top of our game.

After falling to Ohio University, SJU rose to take down the Wildcats in the annual rivalry game with Villanova. Once again it was another physical game and it was competitive, but we battled together to get the win.

Next we traveled to Saint Louis University to begin Atlantic 10 play. We took down the Bilikens, 1-0. This was a huge victory and positive way to start off the conference schedule.

The following weekend the Hawks continued on with A-10 play with Lock Haven. The Hawks struck first but it wasn't long until the Eagles tied it up. The game was hard-fought by both opponents. After regulation the game remained tied 1-1, and headed into the overtime period, the Hawks had the momentum. However, with six minutes left in the first overtime period Lock Haven received a corner and scored with a high shot.

Although SJU was upset, we were determined to go after the Explorers.  After another tough fought battle, La Salle had a corner with about a minute to go and executed nicely. But there was not enough time on the clock for the Hawks to answer.

Yesterday, we took on No. 17 Richmond, and the game was scoreless down to the last minute of play. All week long we worked on perfecting our corners, having strong individual defense, better communication, and our press. We knew going into the game that Richmond would be tough and we needed to bring our best game possible.

We had a solid warmup and we were mentally and physically ready for the task at hand. Richmond kept possession of the ball for a good amount of the first half. Our main focus was to keep the ball in front of us and come up with interceptions. Offense was our first line of defense and they did their job; they slid from side to side keeping their girl and the ball in front of them and not being eliminated from the play. Our midfield came up with a lot of interceptions and did a great job directing the forwards in front of them. For the defense, we knew they had quick forwards and we needed to keep them to the outside. The Hawks shut down the Spiders both halves. It came down to the last minute of play, and the Spiders drew a corner against us. The defense team was very confident after shutting them down many times before. Richmond shot the ball wide right and one of them got a tip on the ball to score the goal.

The Hawks have been fighting all season long and we will continue to fight to the end. Our next competition takes place on Sunday, the last home contest on Ellen Ryan Field. On this day the seniors will be recognized for their dedication to the program the past four years. Being one of those seniors, I am excited to play with this team on the beautiful field that we have on City Ave. The past four years have been nothing but enjoyable and a pleasure for me. Come out to support the Hawks one last time on Sunday at noon as we take on UMass!

-Abby