Hawks dominate Quakers in 4-0 win

The St. Joe’s field hockey team had a lot to cheer about last week as they were ranked 15th in the latest Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I coaches poll, despite their loss to Rutgers on Sept. 2.

“It was a tough loss against Rutgers,” said senior forward Anna Willocks. “We just made sure to take positives from the game. We wanted to use it as a moment to improve off of.”

The Hawk’s had some added motivation as they headed across town to face-off against one of their Philadelphia-based rivals, University of Pennsylvania.

“We love playing City 6 teams,” said head coach Lynn Farquhar. “There is always some history between the teams. Philly is just an awesome area for sports.”

St. Joe’s made sure to set the tone early. Willocks scored just seven minutes into the game, giving the Hawks their lead. The play was a result of a team effort to stretch the Penn defense and create scoring opportunities.

“I got the ball from one of my midfielders,” Willocks said. “It was actually a lot of work from my team. The two strikers opened up the middle of the field and I just ran in and got a shot on goal. Thankfully, it went in.”

This type of teamwork is what Farquhar looks for from her team.

“This is just a glimpse of how good we are when we move the ball,” Farquhar said. “When our team works together, the hard work pays off. It is really rewarding to see it all come together.”

The attack continued as freshman forward Tonya Botherway added two goals to extend the lead. Botherway has been St. Joe’s leading goal scorer this season and she too credits the team’s selfless play for her success.

“I think it is just the players around me setting me up for the goals,” Botherway said. “A lot of my goals come off of corners and set plays, so it feels good to finish off the whole team’s execution.”

Farquhar credits Botherway’s success to her tenacity and work ethic.

“She is a competitor,” Farquhar said. “She has come in and worked hard. She works really hard off of the ball as well. The group is working to create offense for her as well so that has contributed to her solid performances.”

Sophomore forward Jordan Olenginski’s first goal of the season was the final tally of the game. The Hawks cruised to a convincing 4-0 road victory and improved their record to 5-1-0.

“It is always awesome to get a win where you dominate,” Willocks said. “We played really good team hockey. So I think as a team we are going to keep it going and continue to improve each week.”

The Hawk’s will take a road trip down to North Carolina for a pair of games against Davidson University and fourth ranked Duke University on Sept. 14 and Sept. 16.