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2008 Hawks Year In Review
July 7, 2009
PHILADELPHIA - Posting one of the best turnarounds in the nation, the Saint
Joseph's women's soccer team blended veteran letterwinners and an extremely
talented rookie class for the program's best record since 2003.
Coming off an injury-plagued 2007 that saw the Hawks go 3-15-1, this year's
squad quickly proved the program was back on the rise.
While falling to 0-2 to start the new campaign, the tough competition at the
14th Annual Cal Invitational soon paid off for head coach Jess Reynolds'
squad. Returning to the newly resurfaced Finnesey Field, the Hawks posted
back-to-back shutouts over Saint Peter's and Lehigh as freshman Cara
Critchlow gained the first two wins of her career.
Saint Joseph's continued its winning trend, winning its next four games
against Marist, Delaware, Drexel and Rhode Island. A season after setting
the program record for longest losing streak, the 2008 Hawks set a new
record for consecutive wins at six as they opened up Atlantic 10 play.
Picked to finish last in the Atlantic 10, Saint Joseph's quickly surprised
the conference as the Hawks opened A-10 play 2-0-2, starting with a 1-0
blanking of Rhode Island behind a goal by freshman forward Jen Pfeiffer and
a nine-save shutout by Critchlow.
The duo would shine again two days later in a 1-1 double-overtime draw
against one of the top squads in the conference in Dayton. Critchlow made 12
saves, while Pfeiffer scored her sixth goal of the season.
Following a loss at Penn, the Hawks would rebound with a win over Temple and
another double-overtime draw, this time at Saint Louis. Saint Joseph's would
remain in the race for an Atlantic 10 Tournament berth despite falling to
Charlotte and La Salle and tying Fordham and Duquesne in its next four
matches.
Needing three wins to close out the regular season to secure a postseason
bid, injuries caught up to the Hawks as they traveled to St. Bonaventure.
Playing with a depleted roster, SJU fell to the Bonnies, 3-0.
With postseason hopes slipping away, George Washington used a late
second-half goal to end the Hawks' dreams of a postseason in 2008 with a 3-2
decision.
Playing for pride on senior day, Saint Joseph's posted an all-around team
effort in a 2-0 blanking of Richmond. Junior Megan Bastianelli posted five
saves to earn the shutout, while sophomore Lauren Sawyer tallied the
decisive goal for SJU.
Proving voters wrong, the Hawks capped their season with an eighth-place
finish in the A-10 at 3-4-4 and posted an 8-7-4 overall record. Finishing
with the team's best record since going 9-8-1 in 2003, SJU posted the
fifth-best turnaround in the nation and scored 16 more goals this year.
Pacing the Hawks' offense with with a team-best 10 goals and one assist for
21 points, Pfeiffer became just the second Hawk to earn A-10 Rookie of the
Year accolades. Her 10 goals were the fourth-highest single-season mark in
SJU history, with her 21 points tied for fifth most in a season as she also
became the 16th Hawk to earn All-Conference honors and was SJU's fifth
All-Rookie Team honoree.
Returning a majority of starters, including seven of its top-10 scorers, the
future seems very bright for the Saint Joseph's women's soccer program.
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