WASHINGTON - The American University field hockey team opened its two-game weekend at the Terrapin Invitational with a 2-1 victory over Richmond on Friday.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Although the Spiders posted the first two shots of the night, American dominated the game with 13 shots to Richmond's seven, including the only three in the second quarter and five of the six in the third.
• AU also led in penalty corners, 5-1, but fell short of capitalizing on set play opportunities while Richmond scored its only goal of the game off its only corner during the second quarter.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Bryn Underwood walked away with four saves on the day while Richmond's keeper, Erika Latta, batted down three.
• The Eagles struggled to get a clean look at goal in the first 10 minutes of the game. Sophomore Imogen Hatton got a shot off in the 10th minute, but it sailed wide of the cage.
• American took advantage of its next opportunity though, as a scramble in front of goal knocked the ball loose and senior Aidan Rossman was able to dive and knock in her first goal of the season to give AU a 1-0 advantage.
• AU opened the second quarter with two corners and three shots from senior Noor Coenen and Charllene Boshoff, but were unable to get on the board. 
• The Spiders struggled offensively until their first and only penalty corner in the 27th minute. Lindsey Frank found the back of the cage after feeds from Alexandria Lavelle and Tess Keppel to tie the game at 1-1 heading into halftime.
• Junior Merel Dupont scored her second career goal and first game winner in the early minutes of the third quarter with a beautifully laid shot into the upper corner of the cage. American continued to dominate the stanza with four shots and three corner opportunities, but the score remained 2-1 heading into the final 15 minutes.
• Richmond made one final push in the fourth but were unable to find the equalizer and the game closed with the 2-1 AU win.

NEXT UP
American will make a quick turnaround, returning to College Park on Sunday for an 11:30 a.m. start against #21 UMass. The Eagles will make their home and Patriot League debut on Saturday, September 18, at 11 a.m. against Lafayette.

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