Oct. 23, 2009
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
PHILADELPHIA - Senior Kara Harpel certainly has a flair for the dramatic. Playing in her final home game on the turf of DeVincent Field, Harpel tied the game with 28 seconds remaining in regulation and scored the game-winner in double overtime to propel La Salle to a 2-1 victory over city rival Saint Joseph's on Friday afternoon. The win keeps the Explorers in the midst of the Atlantic 10 playoff chase with two games to play.
"I think the emotion of senior day really helped us today," Harpel said. "After I scored the goal to tie things up, we really played with a lot more intensity in overtime. It is a memory I'll keep for a long time."
With the clock ticking toward zero in the second half and trailing 1-0, the Explorers were facing the reality that a loss would put them behind the eight-ball in the A-10 playoff hunt. But Harpel's heroics gave the hosts new life when she found the back of the cage to force an extra period.
The goal was the first scored on Hawk goalie Kelly Swanick in a span of 280:44 minutes. The last team to score on her was Lock Haven on September 27.
Each team had a good opportunity to score in the first overtime period. Hanna Rogers had a one-on-one breakaway after a La Salle defender lost her stick, but La Salle junior goalkeeper Emma Ruth kept things tied up with a big save.
Minutes later, junior Beth Carey had a breakaway of her own, but Swanick kicked her shot aside.
Three minutes into the second overtime, Harpel dribbled into the circle and hit the back of the cage, sending the Explorer faithful into a frenzy. The victory was even sweeter since the Blue and Gold had dropped four overtime games this season.
Saint Joseph's, which upset #10 Massachusetts 3-0 last weekend, took a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute when Theresa Testa scored. The lead held up for nearly the entire game.
The victory moves La Salle (7-10, 2-2 A-10) into fourth place in the conference standings with road games at Temple (Sunday) and at Massachusetts (next Friday) remaining. Richmond leads the A-10 with a 4-0 record, followed by West Chester (3-1) and Saint Joseph's (2-1). The Explorers hold a half-game lead over Temple for the fourth place spot. The top four teams will qualify for the Atlantic 10 Championship on Nov. 6-7 at Massachusetts.
The Hawks held a 24-16 advantage in shots and an 11-7 lead in corners. Ruth stopped 12 shots for the Explorers while Swanick had six saves.
La Salle honored its six seniors - Caitlin Conk, Kelly Dougherty, Haley Froshour, Erica Goldman, Colleen Lechner and Harpel - in a pre-game ceremony.
Sunday's game at Temple's Geasey Field begins at noon.
