Spiders Fall 4-3 at St. Joe's in Back-and-Forth Battle

Friday, September 30

Philadelphia, Pa.

4:00 PM

University of Richmond

(4-6 (2-2 A-10))

Saint Joseph's

(7-4 (3-0 A-10))

Richmond

Saint Joseph's

Spiders Fall 4-3 at St. Joe's in Back-and-Forth Battle

09/30/2016 | Field Hockey

Box Score

By: Richmond Athletics

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Conference games prove to be battles every time teams step on the field. The University of Richmond field hockey team's Friday afternoon Atlantic 10 showdown at Saint Joseph's proved to be just that.

Both teams battled throughout regulation, firing off shots and holding the score tied for much of the game. However, the Spiders (4-6, 2-2) dropped a tough back-and-forth battle, 4-3, as SJU (7-4, 3-0) found the back of the cage with just seconds remaining.

"Our team remains united despite heartbreaking loss. We had a breakthrough on our attacking corners today and celebrate the details that are coming together," said head coach Gina Lucido. "The road ahead will be challenging, but we are focused on going one opponent at a time to make the conference tournament. The extremes of the losses make the plight most worthy and rewarding when we stand on the winning side. We stand firm today and persevere."

The Hawks did not waste time as Anna Willocks, blasted a shot less than three minutes into the game to take a 1-0 advantage.

It did not take long for the Spiders to respond. Junior Katrina Balatgek dribbled from the top of the circle and launched a shot into the left corner to tie the game. Richmond capitalized on a penalty corner in the 20^th minute as junior Megan Miller connected with sophomore Thalia Williamson to give the Spiders a 2-1 lead.

Williamson has now scored in the last three games for the Spiders.

The advantage would not last long as SJU's Kerri Turk scored notching the game up once again.

The second half remained a battle as both teams continued to take shots looking to break open the game. Once again, Richmond took advantage of a penalty corner as Olivia Hubert tallied her first goal of the season to put the Spiders ahead, 3-2. SJU answered minutes later when Willocks registered her second goal of the game.

As the clock was winding down, the scoreboard remained deadlocked at 3-3. With just seconds remaining in regulation, SJU's Jackalyn Pauling knocked in the ball to give the Hawks a hard fought 4-3 win.

Richmond is set to return to action on Sunday at La Salle. That game is set for 12:00 p.m. and will be available on the A-10 Network.