LEWISBURG, Pa. – Senior captain Jessica Wojciechowski registered her third straight hat trick, but the American University lacrosse team fell short against Patriot League foe Bucknell on Sunday, dropping a 12-8 decision to the host Bison.

Wojciechowski added an assist to finish with four points, while fellow captain Olivia Mangan pitched in two goals and two assists for the Eagles, who dropped to 4-10 overall on the season and 1-5 in the Patriot League.

Gretchen Richter scored four goals for Bucknell, which improved to 10-3 overall and 4-1 in the PL.

After nearly eight scoreless minutes to start the game, Bucknell got on the board first with a goal at the 22:12 mark in the opening half. The Bison rattled off four more scores in the next four and a half minutes to stake a 5-0 lead over the Eagles.

American ended its scoring drought with 16:53 on the clock, as sophomore Jennifer DeSimone found the back of the cage with a feed from Mangan. Three minutes later, junior Shauna Norris added another AU score in transition with an assist from Wojciechowski, but neither team was able to score again in the half, as Bucknell took a 5-2 advantage into the intermission.

The Eagles opened the scoring in the second half with a free-position goal by Wojciechowski less than three minutes into the period to cut the margin to 5-3. However, Bucknell got back on the board with 23:42 remaining and added another score just 10 seconds later to regain a four-goal lead.

DeSimone tallied her second goal of the game on a free-position attempt at the 21:04 mark, but the Bison answered with two more goals to take a 9-4 advantage with just under 18 minutes to play.

Over the next 12 minutes, Wojciechowski and Mangan each tallied two goals to lead American on a 4-1 run, cutting the margin to 10-8 with 5:42 on the clock. However, the Eagles were unable to get any closer, as the Bison closed the contest with two more scores, including one at the buzzer, to account for the final 12-8 margin.

Bucknell outshot American for the game, 26-19, and had an 11-10 edge on draw controls, including an 8-5 advantage in the second half. Freshman goalkeeper Fiona Geier had a solid performance between the pipes for the Eagles, finishing with 10 saves and three ground balls.

The Eagles are back on the road next Saturday, April 16, when they visit first-year program Army West Point in PL action.