Richmond Field Hockey Blanks Saint Louis

Richmond Field Hockey Blanks Saint Louis; Now Faces Saint Joseph’s In A-10 Tourney
Spiders blank Billikens in Missouri, extending A-10 win streak to 31 games.

FENTON, Mo. – The Richmond field hockey team has now won 31-straight against Atlantic 10 opponents after whipping the Saint Louis Billikens, 3-0, in Fenton, Mo., Sunday. The Spiders finish the regular season 13-5 overall and 7-0 in the league, and now head into the conference tournament as the number one seed for the fourth-straight season. Richmond which has not lost to an A-10 opponent since the 2001 season will face Saint Joseph’s in the first round of the A-10 Championships, Nov. 4, at 4 p.m. on Temple’s Geasey Field.

Sophomore Shannon Taylor got the Spiders on the board in the 11th minute against Saint Louis by converting on a penalty corner. For Taylor it was her league-leading 13th goal of the season and eighth against A-10 competition. Seniors Lesley Russell and Colleen Wevodau were in on the assists. Richmond outshot the Billikens in the first half 9-2, as senior Michelle Swartz stopped one on goal in the first half to keep the lead at 1-0.

The Spiders mustered up 10 shots in the second half and executed two for the eventual 3-0 victory. Senior Whitney Wells added the second goal from four yards out, and senior Allie Howard notched the final goal of the day by using a rebound. Wells’ score was her 12th of the season and league-best ninth in A-10 contests. Howard’s came with under 30 seconds left to play and marked her sixth of the season and fifth in A-10 play.

Swartz knocked away one more attempt from Saint Louis to earn her sixth shutout of the season and league-best third against A-10 teams in 2005. She also extended a shutout streak to 151 minutes dating back to the overtime contest at La Salle.

The Spiders, who extended their regular season win streak against A-10 opponents to 26 games, will now look to keep their current eight-game win streak alive in the A-10 Championships. Richmond will serve as the No. 1 seed and face fourth-seeded Saint Joseph’s at 4 p.m., Friday, Nov. 4 at Temple’s Geasey Field in Philadelphia, Pa. The Championship finals will also be held at Geasey Field, Saturday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m.