Saint Joseph Field hockey approached this season with a “ride or die” mentality that fifth-year guard Julia Duffhuis said has only grown throughout the season.

And the Hawks saw it in action with their 1-0 win over Lafayette in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

“It’s bearing fruit right now, and this is obviously the most important time for it to bear fruit,” Duffhuis said. “We worked so hard for this. So yeah, I think that ride or die mentality is definitely helping us now.

The Hawks, third (18-3), which is the tournament’s No. 4 seed, will face No. 13 seed Princeton in the second round Sunday at Ellen Ryan Field (noon, ESPN+). The Tigers (14-5) beat No. 7 Boston College 1-0 on Friday.

» LEARN MORE: With a ‘do or die’ mentality, St. Joe’s wins its fourth straight A-10 field hockey title

Junior forward Alison Buffington said the team has kept the idea of ​​playing for each other at the forefront of its game this year. That benefited St. Joe’s on Friday, as it played what coach Hannah Prince called “a really tough game.”

“One of our big goals this year is that as a team we come together as one,” Buffington said. “Whether it was back, middle, up front, and then all together, our lines were very cohesive, and I think that really allows us to play our game.”

The game remained scoreless for the first three quarters. It wasn’t until Buffington found the back of the cage 10 minutes, 7 seconds into the fourth quarter that the Hawks finally got on the board.

“We were playing good hockey and it was going to happen. We were going to capitalize; we were going to get results,” Buffington said. “Just getting that decisive goal, it was great to be there, especially on our landand being able to play a good game for all our fans and everyone.

Prince added: “I’m really proud of the girls for the effort and determination they showed today, and it was incredible to see us execute at a key moment in the match.”

On the defensive end, St. Joe’s held the Leopards to just one shot and no shots on goal throughout the game.

“I want to give credit to our entire backfield, because I feel like we really work together as a unit, and I think that’s what makes us so strong in the backfield,” Duffhuis said. “If any of these pieces were missing, the unit would not be as strong as it is today. »

Sunday will be the first time since 2022 — and the second time in program history — that St. Joe’s advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Regardless of her opponent, Prince is more concerned about which team she enters the game with than who the Hawks will face.

“We’re obviously going to do our scouting report like always and prepare the girls as best we can, but I just think, you know, we’re focusing on us and playing our game,” Prince said. “The most important thing is that we are together, that we have this mentality, that we are a team first and that we pursue whoever our next opponent is.”