BOSTON – Coming back from a 2-0 first-half deficit, the second-seeded American University field hockey team earned a 4-2 victory over third-seed Lafayette in the second semifinal at the 2015 Patriot League Championships on Friday afternoon at New Balance Field.

With the win, the Eagles improved to 12-6 on the year and will advance to tomorrow's championship game to face host Boston University.

"I'm very proud of our team's resilience and heart today," said American head coach Steve Jennings. "Lafayette was a very tough team to get past, especially after falling into an 0-2 hole, but we stuck with the game plan.

"Over time, we were able to get back into the game and won with a great effort."

Freshman Rafaela Rubas, who was selected as the Patriot League Rookie of the Year earlier this week, led the way for American, scoring a career-high five points against the Leopards.

Lafayette (9-10) struck first in the contest, getting on the board in the 13th minute with a goal from leading scorer Amanda Magadan. Despite offensive pressure from the Eagles, the Leopards were able to extend their advantage to 2-0 less than 10 minutes later.

American finally broke through with a score from Rubas with 11:34 on the clock to cut the margin to 2-1. The Eagles then drew a penalty corner in the final minute of the half, setting up the game-tying goal by Rubas as time expired.

The score remained tied until the 19:15 mark in the second half, when junior Natalie Konerth scored on a penalty stroke to give American a 3-2 advantage.

With a strong defensive effort, the Eagles were able to keep Lafayette off the board in the second half. Meanwhile, sophomore Leah DiGiandomenico scored the insurance goal for the Eagles with less than two minutes remaining, tipping in the ball after a penalty corner opportunity.

In the first semifinal of the day, top-seed Boston University held off fourth-seed Bucknell, outlasting the Bison in a 3-2 double overtime victory to advance to tomorrow's final at 2 p.m.

The Eagles will seek their 10th league title in 15 seasons, while the 14th-ranked Terriers are looking to repeat as PL tournament champions.

"We are excited to be in the final, excited to compete for a championship," said Jennings. "It should be a great matchup between two outstanding teams."