Following a dismal 1-4 start to its season, the Saint Joseph’s field hockey team seems to be back on track, due in large part to the play of forward Nicole McCreight.         

McCreight locked up the award as the Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week, leading the Hawks to victories in two of their three games.         

The senior generated six points over the three games, including a goal and two assists in SJU’s 6-4 victory at Lehigh last Wednesday and both goals in its 2-1 win over Rider on Friday.         

After missing much of her first three seasons due to injury, McCreight has become the main contributor for the Hawks offense, mustering 18 points, eight goals and a .89 goals per game average, all of which are league highs.

SJU is currently tied for fourth place in the A-10 with Massachusetts and Richmond with a 3-5 record.         

McCreight and the Hawks will look to continue their recent success when they battle Patriot League-leading and No. 15 nationally ranked American this Sunday.

Lady Eagles sweep weekend

The Lock Haven field hockey team got its seven-game homestand off on the right foot this past weekend, notching back-to-back victories.

The Lady Eagles started things off on Saturday afternoon, hosting and defeating Colgate 6-1. Five different players were instrumental in finding the back of the cage for LHU, with senior midfielder Tonia Marie James leading the attack with two goals on the afternoon.

It was more of the same the following day as the Lady Eagles shut out Appalachian State 6-0.

Anchoring the defense for LHU is Kelly Harsh, who was pivotal in allowing just two shots on goal from the Mountaineers.

Harsh was awarded A-10 Rookie of the Week honors for her efforts on defense, as well as recording her first career goal in LHU’s 2-1 victory over Bucknell last Thursday.

Harsh and the Lady Eagles will continue their homestand and put their three-game win streak on the line this Saturday when it plays host to Robert Morris.

Spiders are victims of revenge 

Last fall, Richmond was victorious in the NCAA Play-In Game, defeating Ohio and gaining entrance into the NCAA Tournament.

On Sunday, the Bobcats got their revenge, defeating the Spiders 3-1 at Crenshaw Field.

Senior forward Dani Pycroft scored the lone goal for Richmond in the second half to narrow the deficit to 2-1, but Ohio added another goal later in the half to seal it.

Richmond has struggled to find the back of the net lately, scoring just three goals in its last four games. The lack of offensive production should come as no surprise, however, with 2009 A-10 Player of the Year Sarah-Blythe Wood absent from the roster.

The Spiders have a sense of hope though, as freshman forward Christina Amorose has burst on the scene and leads the team with four goals thus far.

Richmond will hope to start turning things around this weekend as it travels to North Carolina to take on both Davidson and Duke.
          Stephen Hewitt can be reached at [email protected].