10th-Ranked Hawks to Host A-10 Field Hockey Tournament

Something special has been happening at Saint Joseph’s Ellen Ryan Field this season. Over the past three years, the SJU field hockey team has established itself as one of the tops teams in the Atlantic 10, improving each season. The 2018 field hockey team has etched its place in Hawk history, and they aren’t done yet.

The 10th-ranked Hawks claimed their third consecutive A-10 regular season title by going undefeated in conference play for the third time in program history, and the second time in three seasons.

With the regular season behind them, the Hawks turn their attention to the A-10 Championship, hosted at Ellen Ryan Field on November 2-3.

“We love playing at home and it’s been really great this year because we had the largest St. Joe’s crowd come out to support us,” fifth-year head coach Lynn Farquhar said. “There’s a lot of spirit and energy on campus, so it’s been neat that they’re sharing it with us.”

The phrase “home field advantage” might be an understatement for the Hawks – they haven’t lost a game at home since September 25, 2016.

“I think [winning at home] is something that we can’t take for granted and we still need to come out fighting hard,” senior midfielder Monica Tice said. “It’s just extra special that it’s at home.”

St. Joe’s last hosted the A-10 Championship Tournament in 2015, which also marked the first time since 2009 the team earned a postseason berth. The Hawks lost in the first round, but have only gotten better since then.

This season has been one for the record books: A 16-2 overall record, an 8-0 A-10 record, a top 10 ranking in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll, multiple weekly conference honors, two players named to the Victory Sports Tours/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Senior Game.

“I just think how well we connect on and off the field, that’s something really special about our team,” senior back Joely Helder said.

The team’s strong bond has been a key aspect of not only their success this season, but also in the growth and development of the program.

“I think we’ve focused really hard on keeping each other accountable,” senior forward Anna Willocks said. “We have tried to make it a family environment, but keep it really honest at the same time. With your sisters, you are like that, so that’s what we’ve been trying to achieve.”

For Helder, Tice and Willocks, everything has come full circle. Their freshman year gave them a taste of the A-10 postseason on Ellen Ryan Field, and now they’ll aim to defend their conference title on home turf, as the top seed.

“It’s really nice to see we’re starting to put some quality team hockey together and that’s been our goal all season, just to continue to progress,” Farquhar said. “For A-10s, the biggest focus is going to be on us. You know it’s going to be tough competition. The seeds are out. It’s the same group as last year, and last year was some quality hockey.”

The Hawks won last season’s conference championship with a 7-2 win against Richmond in the first round, followed by a thrilling, 3-2 double-overtime victory over Massachusetts in the title game.

St. Joe’s will take on fourth-seeded Richmond (7-11, 4-4 A-10) on Friday at 11 a.m. The winner of that match will play either VCU or Massachusetts in the title game on Saturday at 2 p.m., with the winner earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Related: Farquhar and Willocks appeared on AD Jill Bodensteiner's "Jill on the Hill" podcast to talk about their season. The segment begins at 17:35