Oct. 22, 2010

Final Stats

Philadelphia - Despite goals from junior Nicole Kent and sophomore Lauryn Smith, Saint Louis field hockey dropped a 5-2 decision against Saint Joseph's Friday afternoon in Philadelphia.

The Billikens quickly applied pressure on the Hawks by earning the first penalty corner of the contest. SJU responded with the next three shots of the game, but SLU keeper Alex LaBarge turned each shot aside. Kelsey Shultz began the sequence with a shot that was saved by Swanick. However, Kent collected the rebound and pounded in her fifth goal of the season.

The Hawks responded with a flurry of two shots but LaBarge kept SLU in the lead with two more saves. With just under eight minutes left to play in the first half, the Hawks finally pushed a shot past LaBarge. Saint Joseph's took the lead just over a minute later. It appeared the Hawks would take a 2-1 margin into halftime, but they tacked on two more scores, including one on the last play of the half.

The Hawks opened the second half with the first six shots but LaBarge withstood the flurry to keep the Billikens within striking distance. However, Saint Joseph's built on the lead with a score in the 40th minute. The Billikens nearly cut into the deficit when Shultz hit the post, and Chelsea Hower's shot was saved. SLU trimmed the lead to three when Smith collected a pass from Tori Lycett and slotted in the ball in the 61st minute as the Billikens closed to 5-2. SLU had three more outstanding scoring opportunities in the waning moments. Smith had one shot saved by the SJU defense, and she rattled another shot off the cage, but the Billikens were unable to inch any closer.

SLU had 10 shots on goal, its second-highest total of the season, as the Billikens slide to 0-17 overall, 0-4 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Hawks improve to 6-10 overall, 3-1 in the A-10. The Billikens close out their three-game road swing Sunday at Temple.