Freshman Val Paolucci had the best game of her young career on Saturday, scoring both her first career goal, and the game winner. Paolucci’s second goal put Saint Joseph’s up 8-7 as tight defense by the Hawks held Saint Mary’s scoreless for the remainder of the game.

The first four goals of the match were alternating scores, including an unassisted goal by junior Grace Dinn. Saint Mary’s changed the pace with back-to-back goals, taking a 4-2 lead. The Hawks came storming back with three unanswered goals before a scoreless stretch of 9:29 to end the first half. Junior Meghan McDevitt added her second assist of the half on the go-ahead goal.

The Gaels scored two-straight goals out of the gate in the second half. Paolucci recorded her first goal of the contest shortly after, tying the score at six apiece. Sophomore and Seattle, Wash. native Jillian Chong recorded her third goal of the match for the Gaels, which provided Saint Mary’s with its last lead of the game.

McDevitt added a game-tying goal with 7:10 remaining in the second half to even the score at seven. Paolucci’s game winner followed McDevitt’s goal less than two minutes later.

Saint Joseph’s (4-5) will host La Salle (4-5) in its conference opener Friday at 1 p.m.

Johns Hopkins tops GWU

Junior attacker Colleen McCaffrey chalked up a hat trick for the second-straight game to rally Johns Hopkins towards an 11-10 victory on Sunday. McCaffrey’s hat trick included back-to-back goals in the first half, giving the Blue Jays a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

The Blue Jays bombarded George Washington’s net, holding a significant 28-19 shot advantage throughout the contest.

Senior Brooke Foussadier matched McCaffrey’s three-point total, contributing two goals and an assist. Foussadier notched a goal with 16:22 remaining in the contest to cap a 6-1 run for Johns Hopkins.

The Colonials rallied late with a goal from sophomore Nicole Lacey, igniting an equally successful 5-1 run. Five straight face-offs in favor of the Colonials fueled the comeback. George Washington cut the lead to one, bringing the score to 11-10. Junior Alyssa Kildare won a crucial face-off with 56 seconds left to hold off the Colonial’s comeback and ensure the victory.

Blue Jays goalkeeper Cosette Larash and Colonials net minder Liz Hoffman notched five saves apiece as Hoffman received the loss.

With the victory, the Blue Jays move to a two-game win streak while simultaneously snapping a streak of the same length by George Washington, dropping to 3-7 on the season.

The Colonials will look to bounce back at home against St. Bonaventure Friday at 4 p.m.

Comeback falls short for Dukes

Canisius College made a bit of history Sunday afternoon. The 8-7 victory over Duquesne was its first win against the Dukes in school history. Additionally, Canisius won its fifth-straight contest, tying a school record.

Despite a one-goal deficit at the half and a lengthy scoring drought to start the second, Duquesne was able to pull within a goal of the Griffs at 7-6 with just under three minutes left in regulation. Following a Canisius goal off a draw, the Dukes again pulled within one, this time with just 25 seconds remaining. Megan Oosting came out of the face-off with the ball, allowing the Griffs to run out the clock for their sixth victory of the season.

In his interview with Canisius media relations, Canisius coach Scott Teeter attributed the victory to tight defense and ability to finish off tough looks on offense. Senior goalkeeper Allison Daley held down Canisius on the defensive side of the ball, recording a season-high 15 saves. Daley’s strong net presence contributed to the Griff’s ability to focus on their attack.

Taylor Gray and Oosting led the scoring for Canisius, notching four points apiece. Gray scored her third hat trick in the young season while Oosting dished out a season-high three assists.

After an 8-10 record last season, the Griffs are off to a strong start this season at 6-3, sitting behind Iona (3-7) as the second best team in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, due to conference play, which Canisius will begin on Sunday. With the loss, Duquesne falls to 6-3, just a game behind UMass (7-2) in overall record.

Matt Strong can be reached at [email protected].