WASHINGTON – Despite a bombardment of shots from the Eagles in the second half, the American University field hockey team would fall by a slight, 1-nil, margin to the visiting Blue Hens of Delaware on Sunday afternoon.
 
QUOTES FROM COACH JENNINGS
"You have to give credit to Delaware too. They're a good team, very well coached. They were able to make a couple key plays, had a defensive save. We missed two open chances at the far post–probably just by inches. So, I don't think we did very many things wrong. We just need to be a tiny bit better, and if we can fix that five percent, we'll put ourselves in a happy situation.
 
"I think the team played amazing today, and obviously, it's a really strong opponent that we had. We created so many chances, we just need to be able to finish them. We are getting better and better every game. It's disappointing because if you think about it from a performance standpoint, we're doing amazing, but from a results standpoint we're unhappy. I think we've been improving game-by-game, tremendously. I'm really excited about what we have going on.
 
"Now, we've been building all this time to be ready for league play which starts next weekend against a tough Lafayette team. I think we're primed to be in a good position, we just have to keep going."

QUICK NOTABLES

• American had a narrow edge on Delaware in shots, 5-4, through the first half and but had a massive, 12-3, advantage in the second half in shots. The final tally was 17-7 in shots overall and 8-5 in shots on goal.
• The Eagles also had a 9-1 advantage in penalty corners throughout the game, with four coming in the first half and five in the second. Delaware's one and only corner was the first of the game, in the third minute of the contest.
• Jordan Reicher, a sophomore forward, led for the Eagles in shots on goal, with two. Six other Eagles each had one.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The game started fast, with a sense of urgency that would prevail throughout the afternoon. The Blue Hens would open the contest on the front foot, taking the first penalty corner of the game in the third minute. The resulting shot would end up being saved by Bryn Underwood.
• The Eagles would earn the second corner of the game, their first, in the seventh minute. The shot from Agustina Roffo would travel just wide of the far post.
• The game-winning goal would come in the first minute of the second period. Less than 40 seconds into the second period, Kate Janssen, assisted by Genevieve Johnson, would corral the pass from just outside the circle at the near post, sneaking past Underwood's efforts. The Blue Hens took the 1-nil lead.
• Following the Delaware goal, the Eagles outshot the Blue Hens 3-1 in the remainder of the first half. All three shots came as the result of penalty corners. Despite that push, nothing would come before halftime.
• The second half saw AU dominate possession. The Eagles would take the only shots in the third frame with four and saw the only corners with three. Still nothing was making it past Blue Hen's keeper Cecile van Eijck.
• In the 54th minute, Delaware would receive a five-minute yellow card penalty, resulting in an athlete-up opportunity for the Eagles for five of the last six minutes of the contest.
• Unable to capitalize though, and unable to get a shot in past the Blue Hens' stalwart defense, the Eagles would lose 1-nil to Delaware in their final game before league play starts against Lafayette on Friday afternoon. 

UP NEXT
The Eagles will head out on the road for their next to games. On Friday, Sept. 27, AU will compete in their first Patriot League contest of the year at 6 p.m. when they clash with Lafayette in a rematch of the 2023 PL Championship title game. American will finish their road weekend with a showing at Penn on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 1 p.m.
 
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