Nov. 7, 2008

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - A penalty kick goal by Saint Joseph's Colin Baker just 6:28 into the game was all the scoring needed as La Salle dropped a 1-0 decision to the Hawks on Friday night. The loss sends the Explorers to 2-13-3 (1-7 Atlantic 10), while the Hawks improve to 5-7-2 (2-5-1 Atlantic 10).

Baker's penalty kick opportunity came just after a yellow card on Gene Curran, the first of nine combined yellow cards on the night. Baker put the ball into the lower left side of the net for the night's only score.

The Explorers rattled off three straight shots in a 24-second span in the tenth minute, but could not convert. They got tantalizingly close to tying up the score on a Dan Korenyi shot that hit off the crossbar in the 22nd minute. They took three more consecutive shots late in the stanza, but again could not get around Hawk keeper Bryan Benedict.

The Explorers took a 7-2 shot lead into the halftime break before the Hawk offense roared to life in the second half. The Hawks took 12 shots in the second frame to the Explorers' six - including four shots on goal - but the score still remained 1-0 as Dan Pfeiffer came up with the stops.

The second half was an especially feisty one, as a combined 21 fouls and seven yellow cards were issued on both teams, with two Explorers ejected late in the game. With the Explorers down two men on the field, the Hawks had more scoring opportunities but did not convert.

Pfeiffer finished the night with four saves, while Benedict stopped five. The Hawks held a slight 14-13 shot advantage on the night as well as a 6-2 corner kick lead. Daniel Heavey led the Explorers with three shots attemped.

The Explorers wrap up the 2008 season on Sunday (11/9) when they head to Temple at 1:00 PM.