The No. 20 American University field hockey team used three first-half goals to defeat Rutgers on Saturday, 3-1, at the Terrapin Invitational in College Park, Md. Gina Hofmann, Christine Fingerhuth and Natalie Ellenberger each found the back of the cage in the victory.

American (2-2) got on the scoreboard early as Hofmann converted on a penalty corner less than three minutes in. Ellenberger began the scoring sequence as she inserted the ball to Kirstin Gebhart at the top of the circle. Gebhart then fed the ball to Hofmann for a one-timer which beat the Rutgers (1-4) goalkeeper to the left post.

The Eagles struck again in the 12^th minute on a great individual effort by Fingerhuth. The senior forced a Rutgers turnover near midfield and took the ball into the circle herself. Fingerhuth then beat two Scarlet Knight defenders at the top of the shell to set up a reverse stick shot which she put to the top left of the cage.

American pushed its lead to 3-0 in the 22^nd minute with another successful corner. Ellenberger again began the sequence on the insert and then snuck behind the Rutgers defense at the left post where she was able to deflect Hofmann's shot from the top of the circle into the cage. The goal capped off a strong first-half for the Eagles as American outshot Rutgers 6-3 and held a 6-2 advantage in corners.

Rutgers cut its deficit to 3-1 in the 54^th minute on a Chelsea Rota goal but American's defense effectively shut down the Scarlet Knight attack for the remainder of the match to preserve the victory. The Eagles allowed only the one shot in the half and held Rutgers to zero corners.

"We wanted to jump on them from the beginning and get on the attack and we were able to convert some of our early chances to get an early lead," Head Coach Steve Jennings commented. "We didn't try to deviate too much from that and I think [Rutgers] responded better in the second half. We did a lot of work this week [on our corners] and I think the players got a sharper mindset. It was good for us to see several of those go in and put extra pressure on their defense."

Hofmann and Ellenberger finished the match with three points, recording one goal and one assist apiece. Hofmann's goal was her second of the season while Ellenberger's tally was her first. Fingerhuth also registered her second goal of the year while Gebhart was credited with an assist on Hofmann's score. Hannah Weitzman recorded two saves in the cage en route to her second victory of the year.

American finished the match with an 8-4 advantage in shots and held an 8-2 margin in corners. The Eagles have both outshot and outcornered their opponent in each game this season.

American will return to action tomorrow, Sunday, September 12, against New Hampshire at 12:00 p.m. in College Park, Md. Live stats will be available during the contest by clicking here.

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