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