RICHMOND, Va. – The Lock Haven University field hockey team (11-8) took an early lead, but in the end No. 13 Saint Joseph's (16-3) scored two second-half goals, and the Bald Eagles bid for an Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) Tournament upset fell short as SJU slipped by LHU, 2-1, in semifinal action.
The loss ended the season for the Bald Eagles who finished the regular season on a remarkable run, winning seven of their final eight games. Lock Haven wraps up the 2019 season with an overall record of 11-8.
With the win, Saint Joseph's, ranked 13
th in the nation, improved to 16-3 overall. The tournament's top-seed was a perfect 8-0 in league play during the regular season.
No. 4 seed Lock Haven took control of the match from the opening whistle today and the Bald Eagles quickly led Saint Joseph's.
Kayla Brathwaite (Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago/Bishop Anstey East) scored just 4:03 into the game.
Brathwaite, a 2019 First Team All-Conference selection, grabbed control of the ball and dribbled through the entire Hawk defense, before firing the ball home at the far post for the 1-0 lead.
The early lead held at halftime and it remained 1-0 until Saint Joseph's finally got on the board and tied the match in the 39
th minute. Kathrin Bentz scored off a corner.
With just 2:59 left in regulation, Carolina Boxer scored the difference maker as the late marker proved to be the game-winning strike. Again, the goal came off a corner play.
Brathwaite fired off four shots and 2019 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year
Jazmin Palma (Entre Rios Province, Argentina./Colegio Sagrado Corazon de Jesus) created several strong scoring chances for The Haven.
Lock Haven goalkeeper
Joaquina Orlandini (Concordia, Entre Rios, Argentina/San Antonio School) was brilliant and her solid 60 minutes kept the Bald Eagles in the game. She finished with five saves and her aggressive style kept the Hawks' high-powered attack silenced until late in the game.
After a regular season loss at Saint Joseph's on October 4, LHU sat at 4-6 overall, before the Bald Eagles went on a second-half tear and ended the regular season by winning seven of the final eight games, including the last four. Lock Haven went 6-2 in Atlantic 10 action during the regular season.
Today's A-10 semifinal marked Lock Haven's first appearance in the tournament since a semifinal appearance in 2014. LHU was vying for a spot in the finals for the first time since 2010, the Bald Eagles first season in the Atlantic 10.
Yesterday, prior to the start of the 2019 Atlantic 10 Tournament, the All-Conference Teams were announced and LHU was well represented. Brathwaite, Orlandini and Palma all earned First Team honors. Palma was named the Rookie of the Year and she was joined on the All-Rookie Team by
Amy Stevens (Castle Creek, N.Y./Whitney Point). Standouts
MacKenzie Farley (East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs) and
Emily Robb (Millersville, Pa./ Penn Manor) were both named to the All-Academic Team.
