No. 8 Saint Joseph's takes down No. 3 Virginia in a top-10 field hockey clash

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Three first-half goals set the tone and a pair of fourth-quarter tallies sealed the result as the eighth-ranked Saint Joseph's field hockey team knocked off No. 3 Virginia, 5-2, at Turf Field on Sunday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Saint Joseph's (11-2) had the better of the possession throughout the first half and made it count on a penalty corner with six minutes left in the first quarter. Lily Santi moved to the post after the insert and batted the ball out of the air across the front of the goal mouth where Sol Borensztein redirected it into the cage for a 1-0 lead.
• The Hawks cashed in on two more corners in the second quarter to open up a three-goal lead. Santi inserted to Kate Crist, who stopped for Julia Duffhuis to fire home for a 2-0 lead with 12 minutes to go in the half.
• Four and a half minutes later, Duffhuis struck again directly off an insert pass from Celeste Smits to make it a 3-0 Hawk lead.
• Virginia (10-2) pulled one back through Emma Watchilla late in the second to send the game into halftime at 3-1.
• The Cavaliers took control in the third quarter but could not convert possession into a goal. They finally broke through on a penalty corner strike from Mia Abello four minutes into the fourth quarter to cut the SJU lead to 3-2.
• The Hawks locked in from that point forward, responding three minutes later to restore the two-goal margin. After an incisive pass from Duffhuis, Manu Ghigliotti fired a shot off the post; the rebound fell to Smits, who turned and fired a reverse chip past UVA's Tyler Kennedy for a 4-2 lead.
• Santi put the exclamation point on the end of a statement victory with just under five minutes to play. Ghigliotti forced a turnover near the sideline and sent a pass to Smits, who found Santi in on goal for an empty-net finish that sealed one of the most impressive wins in Division I this season.

HISTORY: Every DI field hockey champion since 1981

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE

• While the offense stole the show, the Hawk defense was strong on Sunday as well, holding the Cavaliers, who had been averaging more than 14 shots per game, to just five. The Hawks ripped off 10 of their own, including a 7-1 advantage in the first half, and put seven of them on target.
• The Hawks also held a 5-3 edge in penalty corners; all five SJU opportunities came in the first half, while all three of Virginia's were in the fourth quarter.
• Duffhuis, Santi, and Smits all collected four points on the day.
• Marith Bijkerk made one save in the game, while Kennedy made two.
• The Hawks are the first to beat Virginia in regulation this season; UVA's previous loss came at then-No. 11 Boston College in overtime on October 4.
• The Cavaliers are the highest-ranked opponent that the Hawks have ever beaten; the program's previous highest-ranked victory came over No. 4 North Carolina at Ellen Ryan Field in 2021.

UP NEXT

The Hawks will play their third consecutive opponent from Virginia when they host Richmond in a key Atlantic 10 matchup on Friday. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m. at Ellen Ryan Field.