The 11th-ranked AU Eagles (7-3-0) fell behind early and were unable to overcome a 3-1 halftime deficit on Sunday, falling to the No. 21 Richmond Spiders (5-3-0) by a score of 3-2 at the William I. Jennings Recreational Complex.
The Spiders got off to a fast start against AU, scoring on a deflection off a penalty corner. Maggie Hall tied the game nine minutes later, scoring her second goal of the year.
Richmond quickly took back the lead, converting a penalty corner just over a minute later. With just under five minutes left in the half, Richmond was awarded a penalty stroke. Alex Malatesta's shot deflected off goaltender Allison Fayfitch's blocker into the net to put Richmond up 3-1.
The Eagles came out of halftime looking to quickly cut Richmond's lead in half, but strong defense inside the circle kept the Eagles from scoring. AU finally punched through the defense with 23:04 remaining, when Heidi Hershberger scored on a one-timer set up by Kaitlin DeTroia.
The Eagles controlled play for much of the rest of the game, with Savannah Graybill and Irene Schickhardt both having good scoring chances in the closing minutes. However, Richmond's defense held, clearing the ball to the other side of the field in the final minute to end the Eagles' final threat.
"Richmond was more desperate than us at the beginning and we got in an early hole," said AU coach Steve Jennings. "Hopefully we'll learn from this, but the future is not set in stone."
The loss came just two days after a hard-fought 6-2 victory for AU over No. 15 James Madison. The Infante sisters got the Eagles off to a fast start, with Camila scoring off of a penalty corner and on a penalty stroke, and Denise adding a goal off of another penalty corner, as AU built a quick 3-0 lead.
JMU gave the Eagles a scare, scoring two goals in less than five minutes to cut the deficit to one. However, Schickhardt scored two second-half goals, her team leading 10th and 11th of the season. Graybill scored her sixth of the year to give AU control of the game.
Game Notes: The Eagles beat JMU easily despite being outshot 19-11.Friday's game was the AU Blue Crew's "Field Hockey Blowout." Almost 200 members came out to support the team.Sunday's loss against Richmond was the first home loss for AU since last Oct. 26 against Maryland.AU midfielder Megan Henry was injured after being hit in the face with a stick during the first half Sunday. She stayed on the ground for several minutes before walking off the field and did not return to the game.
