The #10 American University field hockey team knocked off #14 Duke by a score of 3-1 Sunday in front of a record crowd of 1,013 at Jacobs Field.  The win was the Eagles 10th straight and their 4th consecutive win over a top-20 opponent.

The two teams exchanged blows for the first 16 minutes of the match with neither team able to get on the scoreboard. Alex McMackin changed all that when she found the back of the cage in the 17th minute for her second career goal to put the Eagles on top 1-0.  Shelly Montgomery set up the goal with a shot from the left side of the circle towards McMackin, who was able to tap it in at the far right post.

The match stayed 1-0 until Melissa Casale doubled the American lead by knocking home a deflection from Lotte van de Mierop in the 30th minute.  Van de Mierop waffled the ball into the circle where she found the waiting Casale, who beat Duke (6-8, 0-4) goalkeeper Samantha Nelson for her fifth score of the year.  American (11-2, 2-0) would ride the 2-0 score into the halftime intermission, having dominated Duke in the first half with an 8-2 advantage in shots and a 2-0 advantage in penalty corners.

American wasted little time adding to its lead after halftime, as Christine Fingerhuth converted a penalty stroke in the 42nd minute to push the score to 3-0. Fingerhuth earned the stroke following a sensational individual effort, as American's defensive pressure allowed her to take possession of the ball at the 25-meter line. The senior then alluded two Duke defenders before entering the shell with a clear path to the cage, and was then fouled from behind to prevent her attempt on goal. For Fingerhuth, it was her second penalty stroke conversion in as many days, and her third goal of the weekend. 

Devon Gagliardi brought Duke back into the match as she deflected a Caashia Karringten shot past Eagle goalkeeper Hannah Weitzman in the 51st minute, putting the score at 3-1.  Weitzman and the American defense would clamp down over the match's final 20 minutes, however, not allowing Duke to inch closer despite six penalty corners for the Blue Devils in the second half, and eight shots on goal.

"We had a great effort today and exerted a tremendous amount of pressure on a very talented Duke team," Head Coach Steve Jennings commented.  "Fortunately, we were able to score early to change the nature of the contest and had some outstanding plays throughout the lines to keep the game in our favor.  Our team is learning and growing each week and it was outstanding to show our true level with such a huge crowd in attendance at Jacobs field."

Fingerhuth's goal was her Patriot League-leading 11^th of the year, and moved her past Denise Infante '08 for seventh place on American's all-time points list with 101. She is now the eighth member of the Eagles' 100-point club, and also ranks fifth in program history with 45 career goals.

Weitzman had another solid effort between the pipes for American, totaling three saves against four shots.  The senior goalkeeper has allowed only eight goals during American's 10-match win streak, picking up three shutouts along the way and combining with Stephanie Burry for a fourth. American outshot the Blue Devils 18-10 on the afternoon while Duke held a slim 6-5 advantage in penalty corners. 

American's 10-match win streak is the third longest such streak in the Jennings era at American, matching the 2003 squad's 10-match run which helped them to a 17-4 overall record. American won a program-record 17 consecutive matches in 2004, en route to a 19-3 overall record and the team's first appearance in the Elite Eight.

American will put its streak on the line when it returns to action next Saturday, October 16, at Colgate at 1:00 p.m.  The roadtrip will continue on Sunday, October 17, as the Eagles visit #18 Albany, before returning home on Saturday, October 23, against Bucknell.

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