Saturday, Sept. 16
American (4-2) vs. Bucknell (3-4)
11 a.m. at Jacobs Field (Washington, D.C.)
Live Stats
Sunday, Sept. 17
American (4-2) vs. Drexel (3-3)
1 p.m. at Jacobs Field (Washington, D.C.)
Live Stats | Video
WASHINGTON – The American University field hockey team will open both its home and conference slates this weekend with back-to-back contests against Bucknell (3-4) and Drexel (3-3) on Saturday and Sunday.
The Eagles are 4-2 overall for the season after splitting a pair of games last weekend during the Terrapin Invitational in College Park, Md. AU battled well against No. 9 Louisville on Friday, eventually falling to the Cardinals 2-1, before putting up a decisive 5-0 victory over Towson on Sunday.
SCOUTING AMERICAN
Eight players have contributed to the Eagles' 20-goal tally so far this season, including a trio of four-goal efforts from senior Haley Bowcutt, senior Leah DiGiandomenico and sophomore Kathryn Roncoroni. Bowcutt leads the team with an additional three assists for a team-high 11 points after the first six games of the season.
DiGiandomenico and Roncoroni both hold eight points, along with junior Rafaela Rubas (three goals, two assists).
The Eagles have also seen some exciting performances from the freshman class, starting with PL Rookie of the Week Noor Coenen, who ranks fifth on the team with six points (two goals, two assists). Ella Arata and Carlotta Borcherding have also put goals up on the board, while Kelly Shulenberger has tallied an assist.
Junior Maura Jacobs leads AU in the cage with 15 saves this season for a .652 save percentage and 1.40 goals against average.
The Eagles, who landed in the top 25 of the NFHCA (National Field Hockey Coaches Association) Coaches Poll for the third consecutive week, currently rank fifth in the NCAA for both penalty corners per game (8.67) and shutouts, averaging .500 per game with three so far this season. AU also leads the Patriot League in several categories, including assists per game (2.50), goals per game (3.33), and scoring average (3.22).
SCOUTING BUCKNELL
The Bison enter the weekend with a 3-4 overall record after falling to No. 2 Penn State, 5-1, on Tuesday. This will be the third ranked matchup for Bucknell so far this season, after they also fell to No. 5 Syracuse, 5-0, on Sept. 2.
The Bison are led by the scoring efforts of sophomore Brittany Willwerth, who has 13 points (five goals, three assists) after seven games. Nine other players have contributed to Bucknell's scoring this season, including junior Lexi Quick and senior Stephanie Dressler, who have notched three goals and two goals, respectively.
Willwerth and Quick, along with sophomore Marisa Morakis also lead the team in assists with three each.
Senior goalkeeper Emily Finn leads the team in the cage with 26 saves this season for a .553 save percentage and a 4.15 goals against average.
The Bison are averaging 2.57 goals per game to their opponents' 3.00 per game, and are shooting .237 percent off of 10.9 shots per game.
SCOUTING DREXEL
Drexel currently holds a 3-3 overall record heading into the middle portion of the regular season with losses against VCU, Saint Joseph's and, most recently, Lafayette.
Four Dragons have contributed to the team's seven goals this season, starting with sophomore Tess Horan with three this season. Sophomore Tess Bernheimer added two more to Drexel's total tally, while juniors Megan Wiest and Katie Pappas each contributed one goal.
Junior Erin Gilchrist has been the sole goalkeeper for Drexel so far this season, putting up 34 saves with a .756 save percentage and a 1.83 goals against average.
Overall, the Dragons are averaging 1.17 goals per game on a .127 shooting percentage.
FALL ELITE CLINIC
Following Sunday's game against Drexel will be AU's 2017 Fall Elite Clinic. Run by the Eagles' coaching staff and players, the clinic will focus on skill development, small gameplay, and scoring.
The clinic is open to any and all high school age participants with a maximum of 50 total players, and will run from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Jacobs Field. Click here for pricing and registration.
For the latest on AU Field Hockey, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter @AU_FieldHockey.
