WASHINGTON – The American University field hockey team is opening post-season play at home this week as the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament. The Eagles will host No. 4 seed Bucknell at 11 a.m. on Thursday in the first semifinal game of the day. No. 2 seed Lafayette and No. 3 seed Boston University will keep the action rolling in the second game starting at 2 p.m.
The winners of the two games will meet in the Patriot League Championship game at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 4, at Jacobs Complex.
QUICK INFO
- Date & Time: Thursday, Nov. 2; 11 a.m.
- Site: Washington, D.C. (Jacobs Complex)
- TV: ESPN+
INSIDE THE SERIES
- American leads the all-time series 30-9 over the Bison.
- In this year's contest, held in D.C. on Oct. 7, the Eagles topped Bucknell 2-1 in a shootout.
- The previous five games have been one-score affairs with American coming out on top three of those five times, last losing to the Bison 1-2 in 2021 in a shootout.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN
- American is 9-7 overall and 6-0 in the league. The Eagles have shown that they can push back against difficult competition, taking multiple ranked opponents to the brink, losing to No. 5 Penn State 3-2 in overtime, No. 9 Maryland 2-1, and No. 14 Liberty 1-0 in a shootout after the game wasn't settled in 80 minutes of play.
- AU went undefeated in the Patriot League, but four of the six wins were one-goal victories. The Eagles beat the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds Lafayette and Boston U. by two goals.
- The Eagles went 9-7 overall last season and 4-2 in PL play. Their season ended with a 2-1 loss to Lehigh in the PL semifinals.
- Charllene Boshoff leads the Eagles with seven goals, which ranks her seventh in the conference. American has scored 30 goals in 16 games.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BUCKNELL
- The Bison went 0-3 against the tournament teams during the regular season; however, all three games were one-goal affairs. Bucknell's game against Boston U. went to double overtime, and the Bison lost 2-1 to American in the shootout period after open gameplay couldn't decide the winner.
- Bucknell finished the season 8-8 overall and 3-3 in the regular season and led the league in scoring, averaging 2.313 goals per game.
- Lily Neilson repeated as the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season. She knocked in a league leading 13 goals and finished second in points (28). Neilson is 12th in the nation in goals per game.
- Kira Leclercq joined Neilson on the First Team. She ranks fourth in defensive saves (4), which puts her eighth nationally. Gianna Puorro earned Second Team honors, providing two goals and six assists. The sophomore's assist total placed her seventh in the conference.
- Goalkeeper Sarah Althouse ranks fourth in saves per game (5.00) and fifth in saves (80).
MAJOR AWARDS
- American placed four players on the All-League Teams, including Charllene Boshoff, who won Defensive Player of the Year.
- Boshoff and fellow South African Tayla-Jade Weiss, a junior defender for the Eagles, were both named to the All-Patriot League First Team.
- On the All-League Second Team was senior goalkeeper Bryn Underwood and freshman standout Emilia Winkler.
- Underwood was also announced as the League's 2023 Field Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
- Head Coach Steve Jennings, in his 25th year at the helm, was named the PL Coach of the Year for the 11th time in 22 years in the Patriot League.
TICKETS
- Tickets are on sale now for both Patriot League Tournament semifinal games and Saturday's Championship online at AUEagles.com/Tickets.
- Tickets are priced at $8 for adults, and $5 for youth and seniors.
- Students of participating schools get in FREE.
PARKING INFORMATION
- Parking is only permitted in the School of International Service (SIS) or The Katzen Art Center Garage during work hours (8 a.m. - 5 p.m. on weekdays).
- Guests using these locations must utilize the hourly rate pay boxes inside each respective garage.
HOW TO WATCH ON ESPN+
- A subscription to ESPN+ is available for purchase via ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or the ESPN App. Fans can access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed. To subscribe, click here. It costs $69.99/month or $99.99/year.
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