Saint Joseph’s entered the Atlantic 10 championship tournament knowing that a gauntlet lay ahead.
A first-round matchup against sixth-seeded George Washington couldn’t be looked past. Then, after a six-goal win, the third-seeded Hawks snuck past second-seeded Richmond by a goal.
On Sunday, Saint Joseph’s completed the improbable Cinderella run.
Lauren Figura scored five times (giving her 13 total goals in the A-10 tournament) to lead the Hawks in a come-from-behind 15-11 win over top-seeded UMass in the conference championship game. It is the first A-10 championship in program history.
Lauren Figura: Beast Mode@SJUHawks_WLax leads UMass in the fourth quarter pic.twitter.com/m9lZLmZLXL
— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) May 1, 2022
Trailing 8-7 at halftime, the Hawks were looking for a spark. Figura scored four of her five goals in the first half, as it was her teammates who led the way during a pivotal third quarter.
Riley Evans scored the first two goals of the period, then Maddie Yoder and Lisa Ross struck in what became a 4-0 run for Saint Joseph’s. Jorden Concordia made two of her nine saves during the shutout quarter, and her performance helped the Hawks take an 11-8 lead into the final stanza.
3Q - 8:44 | Hawks take the lead with a goal from Yoder!
— Saint Joseph's Women's Lacrosse (@SJUHawks_WLax) May 1, 2022
SJU up, 9-8 pic.twitter.com/z86ILU7RoN
UMass continued to hang around, cutting the deficit to 12-10 on Kendra Harbinger’s score with 10:53 remaining, but a 3-0 run from the Hawks in response iced the historic win.
Just two weeks ago, UMass beat Saint Joseph’s 14-8. In that game, Kelly Marra and Harbinger combined for seven goals. In this one, the Hawks held that dynamic pair to two goals.
In earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, Saint Joseph’s now awaits Selection Sunday on May 8 for its next opponent. UMass falls into the pool of teams hoping to earn an at-large bid.