Nov. 3, 2007
WASHINGTON - No. 17 American University field hockey earned its fifth consecutive Patriot League Championship crown with a 3-1 win over Lafayette on Saturday afternoon at the William I Jacobs Recreational Complex. The Eagles will travel to Ohio University to compete against the Bobcats in the NCAA Tournament play-in game on Tuesday at 1 p.m.
The two teams battled in the midfield in the opening minutes of the first half, but American University got on the board first in the 20th minute when freshman Christine Fingerhuth notched her 11th goal of the season. After Savannah Graybill gained possession for American on the left flank, she sent a hard hit through the circle. Junior midfielder Jesika Pufnock one-timed the pass to keep play alive and seconds later, Fingerhuth came out of a goal-line scramble with the ball and put the shot away.
After having a goal taken away for the second straight game, AU kept the pressure on and struck once more before the end of the first, converting on its fifth penalty corner of the day. Off a clean stickstop, the PL Defensive Player of the Year and Tournament MVP Denise Infante fired a shot from the top of the circle and similar to her goal yesterday, Kirstin Gebhart was there for the one-time deflection. AU did not give up any penalty corners in the first and held the 8-2 overall advantage.
Less than ten minutes into the final frame, Pufnock put the Eagles up 3-0 when she connected with Anne Meike-De Wiljes on a give-and-go. After a corner insertion, Pufnock gained control at the top of the circle and led De Wiljes with a pass to the right. With De Wiljes realizing Pufnock's defender followed the play instead of her mark, she slotted a pass right back and Pufnock put away American's final goal of the day. Laura Fabian answered for Lafayette in the 54th minute, but this as close as the Leopards would come, with AU going on to win 3-1.
American University outshot its opponents 12-6, with Second Team All-Patriot League goalkeeper Alyssa Poorman making four stops on the day.
Infante earned her third tournament MVP award in four seasons, with her sister Camila Infante earning the honors last season. Joining Infante on the Patriot League All-Tournament team were De Wiljes, Fingerhuth and Gebhart.
This marks the fifth-straight Patriot League Title for the Eagles and they have remained unbeaten in league action for five consecutive seasons. American travels to Ohio University to face the Bobcats at 1 p.m. in the NCAA Tournament play-in-game.
