WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Samantha Hewitt registered a hat trick and netted the eventual game-winning goal to help Saint Francis clinch its third-consecutive Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament appearance with a 13-10 win against Le Moyne on Saturday.
>> Hewitt, who started the decisive 6-0 run, scored with 8:05 left in the fourth quarter to give the Red Flash an 11-9 lead, and the team only allowed one more goal for Hewitt's twine twinkler to be the one that sealed the victory.
>> Brooke Lacey paced the Red Flash with four goals.
>> Victoria DiRenno stuffed the stat sheet with a goal, three ground balls, three caused turnovers, and five draw controls, while Taylor Coughlin made 11 saves in the winning effort.
>> Saint Francis will travel to top-seed Stonehill for the NEC Semifinals on Thursday.

TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
Despite trailing 6-2 with a spot in the NEC Tournament on the line, the Red Flash outscored the Dolphins 11-4 in the final 39 minutes of play. A loss would have eliminated the Loretto program from postseason contention.

Trailing 9-7 going into the fourth quarter, Saint Francis registered the first six goals of the stanza to take a 13-9 advantage. Hewitt started the run 57 seconds into the quarter unassisted before Julia Givens tied the match at 9 with 11:03 on the clock. Christina Roncarati gave Saint Francis the lead it would not relinquish off a feed by Bella Tesche at 10:07 before Hewitt scored the 11th goal of the afternoon for the visitors off a pass by Elizabeth Mahmud at 8:05. Victoria DiRenno (6:48) and Mak Patten (3:09) completed the surge.

FLASH MOMENTS
Lacey gave Saint Francis a 1-0 lead unassisted at 10:55 in the first quarter. The junior then found the twine for a second time at 9:10 in the second quarter and completed her hat trick at 5:32 in the first half. Mahmud found the back of the net with 43 ticks left before the break.

Mahmud's tally started a 3-0 run by Saint Francis. Lacey started the scoring in the second half at 10:08, before Hewitt scored for the first time on the afternoon at 8:29 in the third quarter.

FLASH NUGGETS
Hewitt notched her fifth hat trick and finished the regular season with 26 goals and 15 assists for 41 points. She moved into sixth place on the freshman goals list and third on the freshman point list, becoming just the fourth freshman to reach 40 points in a season. 

Lacey also had her fifth hat trick of the year and her third game with four scores or more. The junior paced the team with 35 goals and 10 assists for 45 points.

DiRenno moved into eighth place for career draw controls (109) and fourth on the single-season chart (77).

Coughlin registered double figures in saves for the sixth time this season and the 14th time in her career.

Saint Francis will participate in the NEC Tournament for the third consecutive season. It is also the third straight year the Red Flash has posted a winning record in league play, two things that were never accomplished before the 2023 campaign.

Saint Francis will meet Stonehill in the postseason for the second year in a row after the two teams squared off in last year's NEC Quarterfinals.

NEXT UP FOR FLASH
The Red Flash and Skyhawks battle in the NEC Semifinals in Massachusetts on Thursday at 4 p.m.