HAMILTON, N.Y. – The American University field hockey team set off the start Patriot League play on a high note, and that's exactly what they did on Saturday when they were on the road taking on Colgate. The Eagles, with goals from
Alyssa Freeman and
Emilia Winkler, claimed the 2-1 victory over the Raiders to open conference play with a win.
QUOTES FROM COACH JENNINGS
"We are happy to open up league play with a win, but we will need to be more clinical with our finishing going forward," said head coach
Steve Jennings. "Our deep defense did well today to limit chances against, and we were composed to finish the game out right in the fourth quarter.
We have a quick turnaround, and we know we will have to be better against a tough Cornell team tomorrow."
QUICK NOTABLES
- Both goal scorers were first years. Freeman and Winkler each got their second goal of the season during the contest. They now join Tayla-Jade Weiss who also has two, just one behind the leader, Charllene Boshoff, with three.
- With the result, Steve Jennings is three wins away from reaching 300 careers wins as a head coach.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- American earned three corners in the first 31 seconds, culminating in a shot just wide by Federica Turina Dellamaggiore, but showed that the Eagles were on the offensive from the starting whistle.
- The rest of the opening frame saw similar pressure from American, with the Eagles forcing play in the Colgate defensive half for most of the period. AU took five penalty corners before Colgate earned their first in the 14th minute, but the first half finished nil-nil.
- In the 20th minute, the Eagles got the break they'd been fighting for, when Winkler earned a turnover and split her shot between two defenders, just dodging the Colgate goalie as well, to earn AU's first goal of the day, and her second of the season.
- In the 26th minute, a turnover in American's defensive circle led to a shot, but Bryn Underwood, calm and swift, saved the attempt with the pad on her left hand; going into halftime, the Eagles led 1-0.
- In the opening half, the Eagles led 3-1 in shots on goal, and 5-2 in penalty corners.
- Less than five minutes into the second half, AU already attempted three shots on goal from three penalty corner attempts, offensive cylinders still firing coming out of the break.
- In the 39th minute a bit of a cluster of activity in front of the Eagles goal led to confusion and the Raiders were able to find their equalizer. The teams were knotted 1-all with just over 20 minutes to play.
- In the 51st minute of the game, the Eagles got the go-ahead goal. It was a result of their 10th penalty corner of the matchup when Tayla-Jade Weiss took a shot that was just wide, in the perfect spot for Freeman who was posted up to angle the ball into the goal. American was up 2-1 with nine minutes to go.
- The Eagles held off the Raiders for the remaining nine minutes and sealed their victory, 2-1.
- American finished with a 12-2 shots on goal advantage and led 11-3 in penalty corners, converting just once to a goal on attempt number 10. Turina Dellamaggiore and Sophie Willemse led the Eagles in shots with four apiece. The Raiders' keeper was forced to make 10 saves, while AU's Underwood only had to make one.
UP NEXT
- Next week, the Eagles are staying in upstate New York to take on Cornell on Sunday, Sept. 17 at 2 pm. On Saturday, Sept. 23, the Eagles will be back at Jacobs Complex to host Lafayette at noon.
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