Game 9 ·  American (5-3, 1-0 PL) vs. Bucknell (6-3, 2-0 Patriot League)
Saturday, October 2  ·  11 a.m.  ·  Washington, D.C. (Jacobs Complex)
All-Time Record: American leads, 27-9
Broadcast Talent: Ryan Piers (pxp)
 
CANCELED Game 10 ·  American (5-3, 1-0 PL) vs. Michigan State (6-2, 1-1 Big Ten)
Sunday, October 3  ·  1 p.m.  ·  Washington, D.C. (Jacobs Complex)
All-Time Record: American leads, 5-3-1
Broadcast Talent: Jeremy Huber (pxp)
 
WASHINGTON – The No. 25 American University field hockey team will continue Patriot League play on Saturday with an 11 a.m. start against defending Patriot League champion Bucknell.
 
MASK POLICY AT AU ATHLETICS EVENTS 

• Individuals are required to wear masks to all American University athletics events, per current AU guidelines.  
• We also encourage social distancing at all of our venues.   

SCOUTING THE BISON

• Bucknell is coming off its first loss since Sept. 3 on Sunday, after they dropped a 4-1 decision to Harvard.
• The Bison entered that match on a five-game win streak, including a pair of Patriot League victories over Holy Cross, 7-2, and Boston University, 2-1 (OT).
• The only common opponent between the Eagles and Bison so far this season is LIU - Bucknell toppled the Sharks 2-1 in OT on August 29.
• The Bison are led by rookie Lily Neilson who currently tops the Patriot League rankings with nine goals and 19 points in her nine games.
• Nielson currently ranks fourth in Division I with her 1.0 goal/game average, and is 11th with 2.11 points/game.
• Erin Zielinski, the PL Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, leads the squad with seven assists on the year to rank first in the conference and fifth in Division I.
• Clara McCormick has started all nine games of the season in goal for Bucknell, and has 29 saves for a .644 save percentage and 1.82 goals against average.
• The Bison lead the country with 8.67 penalty corners per game, and rank seventh with 2.89 assists per game. 

SERIES HISTORY v. BUCKNELL

• The Eagles own the series history against Bucknell, 27-9, including a 16-1 record at home. The Bison's only victory in D.C. was in the 2011 Patriot League semifinal, 3-2.
• American split the regular season series against the Bison last year, opening the unique spring slate with a 4-0 shutout in D.C. before falling in double-overtime in Lewisburg, 2-1.
• For the second time since 2017, the Bison ended the Eagles' season in a shootout during the Patriot League Tournament semifinal, 2-1.

LAST TIME OUT

• American split the two games last weekend, opening with its second consecutive shutout with a 3-0 win over LIU on Friday before falling to No. 9 Maryland, 4-0, on Sunday.
• Three Eagles contributed to the win over the sharks with junior Merel Dupont, and seniors Josie Formica and Noor Coenen each scoring a goal. Sophomore Emily Horace added an assist while senior Gaby de Kock pitched in two.
• Sophomore Bryn Underwood continued her stand-out season against No. 9 Maryland on Sunday, surpassing her previous single-game high from the previous weekend with 11 saves against the Terrapins.
• Coenen, a two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, continues to lead the team with five goals and two assists. Dupont is just behind with a pair of goals while six Eagles have scored one each.
• Coenen currently ranks fifth in the league for goals per game while Underwood sits atop the PL for save percentage (.764) and is second for goals against average (1.56), third for saves per game (5.25).
• Underwood also ranks within the top-30 in Division I for all three categories.

IN THE RANKINGS

• After opening the season with five ranked opponents in their first eight games, the Eagles finally broke into the NFHCA Division I polls on Tuesday at No. 25.
• This bumps out Michigan State, who had held that position over the last two weeks.
• This is the first NFHCA ranking for AU since 2019 when they broke in at No. 25 heading into the Patriot League Tournament, then bumped up to No. 23 a week later just before the NCAA Opening Round at Fairfield.
• This is the first mid-season ranking, though, since 2017 when AU peaked at No. 20 a week after toppling Michigan State, 1-0, in East Lansing. 

OVERTIME WARRIORS

• American has found itself in extra time in four games already this season and has come away with the win in three against #23 VCU (2-1), #21 UMass (3-2), and Lafayette (1-0).
• UMass was the first and only double overtime of the season so far.
• Junior defender Charllene Boshoff was the first to score a game-winner in extra time this season, after posting her first goal of the year in the 63rd minute against VCU.
• Senior Noor Coenen added two consecutive, first after 73 minutes of play against UMass, then again after 62 minutes of play against Lafayette in the Patriot League opener.
• The Eagles also pushed four of their six games in the 2021 spring season to extra time, including the Patriot League semifinal against Bucknell where they fell, 2-1, after double-overtime and a shootout.
• The 2017-18 season holds the record for most overtime periods with six including three consecutive to end the year.

 TAKING ON THE TOP-25

• The showdown with #9 Maryland on Sunday was the fifth time this season that American has faced a ranked opponent in the nonconference.
• The Eagles opened the year with a 2-1 OT win over #23 VCU before adding another 2OT victory over #21 UMass, 3-2. 

GO AHEAD, TAKE A BOW

• Now in her fifth season, senior Noor Coenen is continuing to milestones in the program record books. Already a two-time All-American, Coenen earned her third consecutive Patriot League Preseason Offensive player of the Year nod this season and holds four NFHCA All-Region honors and two Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year awards.
•  In fact, she is one of four Eagles to have earned back-to-back PL Player of the Year honors and is one of only seven players in league history to have won both Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in a career. With the award last season, she now stands as one of only three players in conference history to have earned two Player of the Year awards after also being selected as Rookie of the Year.
• Coenen is continuing to make her case this season and has the potential to reach an entirely new stratosphere with a third consecutive Patriot League Player of the Year selection.
• She currently ranks third among active Division I players for career goals and points, is sixth for points per game (1.76), and ninth for goals per game (0.71).
• Two-time All-American Noor Coenen currently ranks third in Division I for career goals and points, sixth for career points per game (1.76), ninth for career goals per game (0.71).

 
For the latest on American University Field Hockey, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_FieldHockey) and Instagram (@aufieldhockey).