Field Hockey

Weitzman, Fingerhuth Lift #10 Field Hockey Past Holy Cross, 2-0; Watch Highlights

Box Score

The #10 American University field hockey team picked up its ninth straight win on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Holy Cross at Jacobs Field. Christine Fingerhuth scored both goals for the Eagles in front of Hannah Weitzman who recorded her third shutout.

American (10-2, 2-0) held a distinct statistical advantage over Holy Cross (0-12, 0-2) in the first half despite taking a 0-0 tie into the intermission. The Eagles outshot the Crusaders 7-1 in the frame and held a 3-1 margin in penalty corners, but six of American's shots went wide of the goal to keep Holy Cross in it. American's best scoring chance came in the 33rd minute when Jaclyn Anspach deflected an Anne van Erp pass on goal. Kelly Sotsky was able to make an athletic save on Anspach's shot, however, to keep the match level.

The Eagles came out in the second half with a renewed energy, and put their second shot on goal just 17 seconds in. American would attempt six more shots over a 15 minute span, before finally breaking through in the 54th minute. Lotte van de Mierop set the stage for Fingerhuth's first goal, as she forced a turnover outside the 25-meter line and beat her defender one-on-one to get into the shell. Before van de Mierop could fire a shot she was taken down from behind, drawing a penalty stroke which Fingerhuth successfully converted for a 1-0 lead.

Fingerhuth added her second goal less than four minutes later to make the score 2-0. Gina Hofmann began the scoring sequence this time, lifting a ball from near midfield to Melissa Casale at the 25. Casale turned and fired a pass to Fingerhuth who then took the ball through two defenders into the shell. Needing to clear space between herself and the defenders, Fingerhuth made a sensational spin move before sending a diving shot to the far post.

$website.include("/video/Field_Hockey/2010-11/Postgame_Highlights/20101010_FH_HC_Duke_Highlights.flv") 

The two goals proved to be all American needed, as the defense continued to deny Holy Cross scoring opportunities. The Crusaders were able earn two corners in the final six-plus minutes, but came away empty as their first attempt went wide and the second was saved by a diving Weitzman to preserve the shutout.

"Today was a great lesson for us, control of the game ultimately doesn't matter unless you finish your chances," Head Coach Steve Jennings commented. "Fortunately we were able to get another strong defensive effort and eventually the goals came. It was very important to get another league win and now we have a quick turn around for a big match tomorrow against Duke."


Fingerhuth has scored two goals in each of American's last three games, bringing her Patriot League leading total to 10. The senior now has 44 career goals and 99 points, ranking her fifth on the school's all-time goals list and eighth in career points. With her next point, Fingerhuth will become just the eighth Eagle to reach 100 points and will tie Denise Infante '08 for seventh place in program history.

Weitzman made two saves in the cage to earn her third shutout of the year. American finished the day with a 19-3 advantage in shots and an 8-3 margin in corners.

American has now won each of its last nine matches to improve to 10-2 on the year. The Eagles nine straight wins mark the team's longest winning streak since the 2005 squad won 15 in a row, and is the program's fourth-longest winning streak under Head Coach Steve Jennings. 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.

The Eagles will return to action tomorrow, Sunday, October 10, at 1:00 p.m. against #14 Duke at Jacobs Field. Sunday's match will mark the team's fourth annul "Phil Jacobs" event and is the fourth stop on the "2010-11 Phil Bender World Tour." All Blue Crew members will receive free Domino's Pizza, free Coca-Cola products and free Robeks smoothies prior to the match.

Fans unable to attend the match can catch all of the action live through AUeagles.com via a subscription to Eagles Vision TV. Year-long subscriptions are $49.95 and allow you to watch every live broadcast produced by Eagles Vision TV and access to the Eagles Vision TV archives to watch past games on-demand. Single-game subscriptions, which are only available during live broadcasts, are also available for $5.95 per event.
Print Friendly Version