PHILADELPHIA – La Salle battled city rivals Saint Joseph's on an overcast day on Hawk Hill, but a tough second half saw the Explorers concede a 19-7 result. Sophomore Molly Loughlin kept her team in the game, especially in the first half when she stopped 10 shots. Her line overall was 17 saves on 26 shots. HOW IT HAPPENED Saint Joseph's took an early 2-0 lead with five minutes expired before junior Mikki Raymond got the Explorers on the board. After that, the teams traded goals twice, with goals for La Salle coming from sophomore Sarah Elias and junior Gabby Burton. With the score narrowed to 4-3 in favor of the home team, the Hawks took flight as they struck for five unanswered. La Salle wouldn't break yet, however; sophomores Allison Hunter and Maddie Dachowski found the back of the net to cut the deficit to 9-5 heading into the half. The second frame was all St. Joe's. The Big 5 rivals scored eight straight to begin the final 30, pushing the score to 17-5. The Explorers found two late goals from sophomores Annina Iacobucci and Emmie Dressel. INSIDE THE NUMBERS Continuity in net: Loughlin's 17 saves, along with her marks of 16 against Richmond and UMass in the previous two games, gave her a career-high 49 stops over a three game span. Seven different Explorers recorded goals in the game. Elias led the Explorers in points with two (one goal and one assist). Sophomore Priya Kavuru and senior Ashley Blanton paced the Explorers in draw controls with four each, followed by Hunter with three. Senior Courtney Shoults and junior Emily Talluto, along with Burton, were tied for the team-high in ground balls with three apiece. UP NEXT The Explorers travel to Pittsburgh to face Duquesne on Saturday, April 20th at noon in their regular season finale. The game is a win-and-you're-in situation for La Salle. POSTSEASON SCENARIOS La Salle. George Washington. VCU. Duquesne. Four teams stand at 3-5 in the conference with two spots (the fifth and sixth positions in the conference) up for grabs in the A-10 Championships. La Salle owns tiebreakers over both George Washington and VCU, winning the head-to-head. How can they get in? If the Explorers defeat Duquesne, they're in as the fifth seed no matter what happens in VCU or George Washington's games. If La Salle loses, Duquesne becomes the fifth seed (unless VCU wins). The blue and gold can still make it as the sixth seed if both VCU and George Washington lose. The Explorers opponent will be determined after the final game and can be any one of UMass, Richmond, George Mason or Saint Joseph's.