SJU Athletics Photos

RICHMOND, VA (11/06/03) – The Saint Joseph's season for the record books had to end sometime. But it was the way it ended that left the Hawks with a sour taste in their mouths. Despite out shooting Xavier, 11-7 and controlling possession for a majority of the contest, SJU fell in its first Atlantic 10 tournament appearance, 2-0. The Hawks finish their season with a 9-8-1 record and a program best seven conference victories. SJU controlled possession early in the first half and had several legitimate scoring opportunities. The Hawk offense suffered a serious blow when redshirt freshman Nancy Cook, who had already collided twice with XU (12-7-1) keeper Andrea Garber, went head-over-heels after a 50-50 ball in the 25th minute. The A-10 All-Rookie team member left the game with a twisted left knee. The Musketeers picked up steam as the first half came to a close. Xavier's Lauren Giesting had a breakaway on the right side, leaving Hawk keeper Nicole DiEnna with no choice but to leave the net. Giesting chipped it into the open goal to give the fourth seed a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute. Saint Joseph's had several more scoring chances in the second stanza, but was unable to find the back of the net. XU's Angie Scarlato put the nail in the SJU coffin with 17:17 to go. The sophomore took a long pass from Giesting and beat DiEnna to the near post for her fifth goal of the season. DiEnna made three saves for the Crimson and Gray, while Garber stopped three shots on the other end. It was just the fourth time all season that St. Joe's was held scoreless. Xavier did a tremendous job of putting the clamps on Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, Megan Schutt. She was held shot-less for the first time all season. Xavier faces off with first-seeded Dayton tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. Third-seeded Richmond, a 2-1 double overtime winner over Rhode Island, meets second-seeded Fordham in the other semifinal.