The No. 9 American University field hockey squad will look to capture its eighth straight Patriot League Championship this weekend at Jacobs Field. In their first match up, the top-seeded Eagles will take on the fourth-ranked Colgate Raiders at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, November 5.
American (15-3, 5-0) clinched the tournament's top seed with a 3-1 victory over Lafayette last weekend. Freshman Alex McMackin scored a pair of goals in the victory and was subsequently named Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week by the Patriot League. Senior Christine Fingerhuth also notched a diving goal in the 57th minute for her 49th career tally. She is now tied with Camila Infante '07 for fourth place on American's career goals list and ranks fifth in Patriot League history.
Fingerhuth was also named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year on Monday, becoming just the third student-athlete in the conference's history to earn the award in back-to-back seasons. Head Coach Steve Jennings was recognized as Coach of the Year for the seventh time while eight Eagles received All-League honors. Fingerhuth, Kirstin Gebhart, Anne van Erp and Gina Hofmann were named to the All-Patriot League First Team while Tatum Dyer, Shelly Montgomery, Constanza Palma and Lotte van de Mierop received second team honors.
Six different Eagles have recorded at least five goals this season, including Fingerhuth (15), van de Mierop (8), Montgomery (8), Hofmann (7), van Erp (6) and Melissa Casale (5). Gebhart, sophomore Natalie Ellenberger and Hofmann lead the team with 12, 11, and 10 assists, respectively. Hannah Weitzman has been dominant in the cage for American, posting a 0.91 goals against average and .729 save percentage.
In their first match of the weekend, American will take on the Colgate Raiders (5-11, 2-3). Colgate has relied on the strength of senior goalkeeper Kirsten Lalli, who leads the nation with 10.38 saves per game and was named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year on Monday. Lalli is coming off a 20-save performance in the Raiders' 3-2 loss against Bucknell and sports a .779 save percentage, which ranks eighth in the country. On the offensive end, classmate Laura Denenga leads the team with nine goals and 21 points.
Since joining the Patriot League in 2000, the Eagles are a perfect 13-0 against Colgate and hold a 3-0 advantage against them in tournament play. American lit up the cage when the two teams met earlier this season and the Eagles came out with a 6-1 victory. Fingerhuth notched her first career hat trick in the match as American outshot Colgate 21-4.
With a win, the Eagles would face the winner of the other semifinal match between Bucknell and Lafayette. In regular season conference play, American defeated both sides by scores of 6-0 and 3-1, respectively. The Eagles are 9-1 all-time against Bucknell and hold a slim 7-4 advantage over the Leopards since joining the Patriot League in 2001.
All three matches will be broadcast live via Patriot League All*Access. Fans can purchase a month-long subscription for $7.95 to watch each game, as well as all other fall Patriot League Championships. For more information on Patriot League All*Access, click here.
