BOX SCORE
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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - When Michelle Babin connected from 15 yards out to put the Hartford women's soccer team up 1-0 midway through the first half, it took care of a lot of firsts. Babin's first career goal gave Hartford its first home tally of the season, and turned out to be the first of three goals in a 3-1 thumping of Saint Joseph's on Sunday afternoon. It was the Hawks' first home victory of the season, and improved their overall record to 3-6-0.

After Hartford chipped away at the Saint Joseph's defense early in the game, holding the ball and working it around to find their counterpart Hawks' weaknesses, Hartford converted on its first real scoring opportunity of the game. Caroline Dixon worked her way free inside the box, dribbling to the middle of the field until she found an open Babin cutting in from the left side. Dixon sent the ball over to Babin, who knocked it squarely over the shoulder of the goalkeeper Christine Neal and into the back of the net, giving Hartford a 1-0 lead.

For Babin, the goal was her first in four years with Hartford. It marked her first points since helping out with two assists during her sophomore season of 2008.

The Hawks went into halftime up by that 1-0 score, and once again did a good job preventing Saint Joseph's from getting anything going offensively early in the second half. Twelve minutes into the period, Hartford worked a corner kick, their first of the game. Shealagh Begley took the ball out, and found Amelia Pereira running free towards her corner to the left of the goal. Pereira gained control and turned towards the net, where she threaded the needle into Nicole Weil who sent it home from ten yards out. Both Begley and Pereira earned assists on Weil's second goal of the season, and Hartford had a 2-0 lead - and its first multi-goal game since falling at Temple, 4-3, on August 29.

After withstanding the first scoring opportunities Saint Joseph's was able to put together, Hartford put the game out of reach in the 75th minute of play. Saint Joseph's hit the crossbar and could not convert on a rebound opportunity, and not long after, the speedy Breeanna Robinson found herself streaking down the left side of the field towards the box. Without much of an angle to take a shot herself, Robinson squared herself and fired a perfect pass to Pereira, who had trailed Robinson and was positioned at the top of the goal box. Pereira did not miss the opportunity, giving Hartford a 3-0 lead when she found the back of the net from 15 yards in front of the goal.

Hartford dominated possession for much of the game, and did not allow St. Joe's to get off so much as a shot on goal until midway through the second half. In fact, Hartford looked poised to capture its third shutout of the season until Mo Hawkins sent a long shot in from 30 yards out that ricocheted off the crossbar and into the net with less than three minutes to play. In total, goalkeeper Lauren Brodeur made four saves, allowing just the lone goal.

The Hawks will be back in action on Thursday as they close out the non-conference portion of their schedule at Fairfield. The Hawks and Stags will get things underway at 7:00 p.m. in Fairfield.