JOLIET, Ill. --- Alex Jonaitis blocked a pass attempt on the near sideline, recovered the ball 40 yards out and then pushed a shot just inside the left corner of the goal to provide the only scoring in Saint Xavier University's 1-0 victory over University of St. Francis on Friday night.  The goal came just 28 seconds into the second half and sent the Cougars to the semifinal round of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, while ending the Fighting Saints' season at 6-7-5.

The quarterfinal-round matchup was a defensive battle for much of the night with the two teams only registering three shots on goal and nine total shots in the opening 45 minutes.  Saint Xavier (8-3-5) had the best chance to break the deadlock in the opening half only to have USF goalkeeper Krystal Rodriguez make an incredible save on a close-range shot from Jonaitis with just over six minutes remaining before halftime.

The Saints had the majority of the scoring opportunities in the second half, taking 11 of the combined 15 total shots and accounting for five of the eight shots on goal.  Kelly Flores provided the first attempt just 20 seconds after Jonaitis' goal.  Her long-range shot bounced off SXU goalkeeper Natalie Dybas before rolling off the right post.

USF also had a pair of chances to tie the game up just one minute apart from each other.  The first attempt came just in front of the net that went high in the 68th minute with the other shot being stabbed by Dybas just inside the box at 69:25. 

St. Francis' final shot on goal came on a header in the 84th minute that was snared by Dybas, who finished the night with six saves in posting her fifth shutout of the season.
Rodriguez stopped four shots on goal for the Saints.

Notes: Flores finished the season as the Saints leader in four offensive categories: goals (6), assists (3), points (15) and game-winning goals (2).  She shared the assist lead with Mia Ocana and did the same with Litzy Mendez on game-winning tallies … Rodriguez concluded her sophomore campaign ranking fifth in the league in goals-against average (1.30) and tied for fifth in shutouts with four … The Saints finished the season 3-4 in one-goal decisions.     

You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on Twitter @USFSaints.