What a Senior Day it was for the AU field hockey team, especially for seniors Shannon Goans and Javiera Villagra.
They combined to score seven goals as the Eagles routed Patriot League rival Colgate, 9-1, at the Jacobs Recreational Complex Saturday.
The win assured the Eagles will host the PL Tournament next weekend, and improved AU's record to 16-1 (4-0 PL).
"Well, we knew that hosting rights for the Patriot League Tournament were on the line and with a win we could clinch that," said AU coach Steve Jennings. "So I think that was plenty of motivation and if that wasn't enough, certainly the seniors of the team felt very strongly that the seniors needed to be sent off on the right note."
AU dominated virtually every statistical category in the game, but it was Colgate Raider forward Laura Flisnik who scored first, sailing a shot past Eagle goalkeeper Allison Fayfich for the early 1-0 lead four minutes in.
That merely ignited an Eagle offense with the memory of Wednesday's 2-1 loss to Maryland not far in the past.
At 7:06, Goans netted her first goal of the contest off an assist from sophomore defender Denise Infante to tie the game.
Just over 10 minutes later, Goans scored again on a one-time pass from junior midfielder Camila Infante, giving AU a 2-1 lead.
The Eagles rattled off 20 shots in just the first frame of play, while Colgate mustered just one. It was a much different opponent from earlier in the week, but Goans said Colgate still couldn't be overlooked.
"After the Maryland game we realized that we're at that level," Goans said. "That's the level our team can always play at and today we came out and showed that. No matter who we're playing, we need to always come out and play our game."
Villagra struck next for the Eagles on blast to the top shelf for 3-1 AU lead, and her tenth goal of the season, with 8:48 left in the first half, beginning a lightning-quick AU run. Less than a minute later, Goans attacked the Raider defense, collected her own rebound and drilled home her third goal of the game and first hat trick of the season. Then, with just four seconds remaining in the half, Villagra notched her second goal on a shot from the top of the circle for a 5-1 AU advantage.
Villagra took nothing for granted, though.
"It's a Patriot League game and we needed this win to be able to host," she said
The second half started little different from the first. Just three minutes in, Villagra notched her third goal of the game off a penalty shot.
Denise and Camile Infante added the next two goals for the Eagles, Denise's on a breakaway and Camila's on a nine-yard shot for an 8-1 edge.
To wrap up the scoring barrage, Goans buried her fourth and final goal on a shot off the Raider goalkeeper to give AU a 9-1 win.
Jennings said it was a fitting day for the program, and especially the seniors.
"I think they had a lot of fun," Jennings said. "I think it was a really special moment for seven incredible people that put so much into this program and made it what it is today. So we were just really proud that they were able to go out and be recognized for their accomplishments."
The Eagles outshot the Raiders 34-4, and AU goalkeepers Fayfich and Makinzie Sheridan combined for two saves.
"It couldn't have been a more perfect Senior Day, especially with all our class has been through," Goans said. "It was just perfect"
