Irene Schickhardt scored two second-half goals and the AU defense held Towson to just three shots in a 3-0 victory on Saturday.
After seven straight away games, the Eagles (6-2) started out their first home game tentatively, with Towson (5-2) controlling play for the first five minutes. AU goalie Allison Fayfich kept the game tied with a diving save off of a penalty corner.
"We were all really excited for our first home game," Schickhardt said. "At the beginning, we didn't play so smart, but we were willing to fight for the win."
Despite the slow start, the Eagles jumped out to an early lead on senior Heidi Hershberger's fifth goal of the season. The goal came off of a penalty corner, with Hershberger deflecting a shot by senior Camila Infante into the net.
"Heidi has the amazing ability to deflect balls that most people can't even see," said AU head coach Steve Jennings.
The Eagles continued to apply pressure, taking eight shots on goal in the first half. However, Towson goalkeeper Christina Armer was brilliant, making seven saves to keep her team within striking distance heading into halftime.
"She was the sole factor in keeping them in it in the first half," said Jennings. "The final score easily could have been twice what it was."
The Eagles came out in the second half determined to score a second goal. After almost six minutes of constant pressure, including a shot that rang off the goalpost, AU finally broke through with Schickhardt's eighth goal of the season.
Schickhardt scored her second goal of the game with under 12 minutes remaining, icing the game for the Eagles. The goal came on a beautiful play, with Schickhardt diving to knock the ball in as Armer was closing in on her.
Although the final score was 3-0, the game wasn't that close. The Eagles took 31 shots (19 on goal) to just three shots (one on goal) for Towson. Thanks to the strong defensive effort, Fayfich had to make just one save to record her second shutout of the year. Armer made 16 saves in the loss for Towson.
"Anytime you put the other team in a position where they have to score three or four goals on around six scoring chances, it is going to be very difficult for them," Jennings said.
Field Hockey Tidbits:
After recording two shots in the opening minutes, Towson did not record another shot until the 54th minute.Hershberger's goal was her third game-winner in a row.Schickhardt has scored nine goals in eight games after scoring 13 all of last season.The Eagles play two home games next weekend, Friday against James Madison and Sunday against Richmond.
