Box Score
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Junior Mariel Papa scored a pair of goals as the La Salle field hockey team kept its postseason hopes alive with a 4-3 victory at Saint Louis. Senior Becca Chylack and junior Olivia Shoemaker also scored for the Explorers, who improve to 8-10, 3-3 in the A-10.
 
"We put up a good fight against Saint Louis and came up with the win," Papa said. "It feels good to go into Sunday with a victory."

Sophomore Lisa Shaffer made seven saves in the victory while senior Janel Paukovits had a pair of assists.

The Explorers are tied for the fourth and final playoff spot with VCU, who hosts Saint Louis on Sunday. A La Salle win combined with a VCU loss would give the Explorers the final spot.

The Rams hold the tiebreaker over the Blue and Gold due to a 2-1 win at DeVincent Field last Sunday. If both teams were to win or lose, VCU would earn the fourth seed.

Chylack opened up the scoring in the third minute off a penalty corner with Paukovits and senior Neelam Kumar picking up the assists. SLU tied the score 90 seconds later but the Explorers answered in the seventh minute when Shoemaker scored her team-best eighth goal of the season off a pass from Paukovits.

The visitors made it 3-1 when Papa got on the board in the 22nd minute on an unassisted tally. The Billikens (1-18, 0-6 A-10) made things interesting with a goal with 16 minutes left to cut it to 3-2. 

Papa scored her second goal of the game, and sixth of the season, to extend the advantage to 4-2 with just under six minutes remaining.

The Billikens followed two minutes later to make it 4-3 but the Explorer defense held on.

SLU held a 15-10 advantage in shots and a 6-5 lead in corners. 

La Salle will wrap up its regular season on Sunday vs. #16 Richmond (14-4, 6-0 A-10) at noon.