Saint Louis Field Hockey // Match Information
Match No. 5	Saint Louis (3-1) at Saint Joseph's (3-2)
Date // Time	Friday, Sept. 19 // 2pm CT
Location	Philadelphia, Pa. (Ellen Ryan Field)
Stream	ESPN+ | International Stream
Live Stats	SJUHawks.com

Saint Louis Field Hockey // Match Information
Match No. 6	Saint Louis (3-1) at Saint Francis (3-3)
Date // Time	Sunday, Sept. 21 // 10am CT
Location	Loretto, Pa. (DeGol Field)
Live Stats	SFUAthletics.com

Saint Louis hits the road for a pair of games in Pennsylvania this weekend.

The Billikens open Atlantic 10 Conference play on Friday when they face the 15th-ranked Saint Joseph's Hawks in Philadelphia. SLU then travels to Loretto to take on the Saint Francis Red Flash. 

Friday's game against Saint Joseph's will be streamed live on ESPN+.

ABOUT THE BILLIKENS

Saint Louis enters the weekend with a 3-1 record, the best record in the A-10 heading into conference play. The Bills are 3-1 for the first time since 2021 and for just the second time in the last 31 years.

SLU is coming off a 2-1 win at Bellarmine last Friday. Earlier this season, SLU defeated Ohio 3-1. It was the first win for the Billikens over the Bobcats since 1997. SLU followed the Ohio win with a 6-0 victory over Lincoln Memorial.

Sierra Larson, who was named A-10 Offensive Player of the Week Sept. 8, leads SLU with four goals. Olivia Smith (3G, 1A) and Abby Vidas (2G, 3A) have seven points apiece. Ignacia Manriquez has scored twice for the Bills.

Abby Schalow has played the majority of minutes in the cage. She has a 1.42 goals against average and has made 15 saves, including a stop on a penalty stroke that helped SLU secure the 2-1 win at Bellarmine.

ABOUT THE OPPOSITION

Saint Joseph's is ranked 15th in the latest NFHCA Coaches Poll. The Hawks split a pair of games last weekend, blanking American 1-0 before falling to No. 10 Maryland 1-0 on a goal by the Terrapins in the final seconds.

Last season, Saint Joseph's captured its seventh A-10 crown in the last eight years. The Hawks upended No. 1 overall seed North Carolina in the NCAA semifinals and played in the NCAA Championship match.

SLU played the Hawks tough in St. Louis last year. Abby Schalow made 12 saves for the Bills as SJU edged SLU 1-0 on a second-quarter goal.

Saint Francis is 3-3 heading into its match Friday afternoon against LIU. The Red Flash have picked up wins against Bellarmine (4-0), La Salle (2-0) and Ball State (3-1). SFU is coming off a 5-1 loss at Indiana. Saint Louis and Saint Francis are meeting for the first time since 2019.

NEW COACHING STAFF

The Billikens are led by interim head coach Laura Hurff. She guided Rhodes College to a 14-6 record last season as interim head coach. An accomplished player in her own right, she was a four-year starter at Syracuse and helped the Orange win the NCAA Championship in 2015.

Assisting Hurff is interim assistant coach Teresa Schmidt, a St. Louis native who played at Bellarmine. Graduate assistant Bodhi Littlefield was a four-year starter at Ohio.

50TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

This season marks the 50th anniversary of Billiken Field Hockey at Saint Louis University. The program began in 1975 under the direction of SLU professor and former Dutch national team player, Dr. Will van Beaumont. 

UP NEXT

Saint Louis host VCU next Friday, Sept. 26, at noon at the SLU FH Complex. The match is part of SLU's Homecoming and Family Weekend.