AMHERST, Mass. – Buoyed by a transcendant effort from Lauren Figura, third-seeded Saint Joseph's (14-6) capped the team's Atlantic 10 Women's Lacrosse Championship with an upset of No. 1 overall Massachusetts, surging late in the contest – outscored the Minutewomen 8-3 over the final two periods – en route to a 15-11 final mark Sunday afternoon at Garber Field.

With the victory, the Hawks lock down the program's first-ever Atlantic 10 Women's Lacrosse Championship Title as well as the league's automatic berth into the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Selections and matchups for the NCAA Championship are set to be announced on Sunday, May 8 at 8:00 p.m. via NCAA.com.

In spite of UMass consistently finding ways to fight back into an advantageous position, the Hawks resiliency continued to shine through possession after possession, never trailing by more than three goals throughout the contest.

The Minutewomen, who controlled the majority of the opening half, initially took a three-score lead before SJU matched with a three-goal stretch of its own. The fordmidable Massachusetts offense spiked once again, posting three more unanswered to reclaim the lead; after an even exchange goal-for-goal, Saint Joseph's battled back with another three-score streak, entering the half down just one after UMass found a late goal at the 2:12 mark.

The third period belonged to the Hawks, however, as multiple defensive stops combined with timely goals from junior Riley Evans launched Saint Joseph's to the squad's first lead of the contest, shutting out the Minutewomen while SJU drilled home four unanswered goals during the period.



A back-and-forth final quarter saw Massachusetts make an inroad before the Hawks immediately erased the effort, matching each other goal-for-goal early on before Saint Joseph's put the match away late with a trio of scores from Maddie Yoder, Lisa Ross and Bonnie Yu.

Statistically, Figura continued to reinforce her title as A-10 Offensive Player of the Year, notching four goals in the first half alone with a fifth coming early in the fourth period. Additionally, both Evans and Ross added hat tricks for the day while Yoder tacked on a pair herself. Notably, Hawks' goalkeeper Jorden Concordia compiled another brilliant effort in the cage, swiping nine save while surrendering the 11 goals.

For UMass, redshirt senior Julia Smith led the way with a hat trick while grad student Haley Connaughton and senior Amy Moreau contributed two goals apiece as well.

The 2022 Women's Lacrosse All-Championship Team was composed of Davidson's Lauren Arkell, Julianne Carey and Amanda Monahan, Duquesne's Alana Piano, Richmond's Lindsey Frank, Massachusetts' Kendra Harbinger and Julia Smith and five for Saint Joseph's including Concordia, Evans, Figura, Sophia Kolkka and Taylor Newman-Farr. Figura, who totaled 13 goals and two assists across three games of action, earned the distinction of Most Outstanding Player.