For the fifth straight season, the field hockey team was crowned the Patriot League champions Saturday afternoon after dominating Colgate 4-1 in the semifinals and Lafayette 3-1 in the finals.
In the semifinals, the Eagles entered the field with high energy and intensity that did not let up until the final whistle blew. In the first half alone, AU out shot Colgate by a total of 12-4. Two of those shots sneaked past Colgate goalie Sarah Pedersen and found the back of the net.
The Eagles' first goal came in the 19th minute when sophomore Savannah Graybill fired an unassisted goal off a rebound from senior Denise Infante's shot. Soon after, the Eagles were back on the scoreboard again when freshman Kirstin Gebhart redirected an Infante shot.
Even with a comfortable lead, AU did not let off the pressure in the second half. Within the first four minutes of the second half, sophomore Anne-Meike De Wiljes blew a shot past Colgate's Pedersen, off an Irene Schickhardt penalty corner.
The Eagles never blinked at an opportunity to shut down their opponent. Because of its defensive tenacity, the Eagle offense was free to do its work.
In the 61st minute, freshman Christine Fingerhuth scored an unassisted goal, the fourth Eagle goal of the game.
AU's next destination of domination was the Patriot League Championship against Lafayette.
As soon as the Eagles stepped onto the field, it was understood that this game would be no different than the last. The Eagles found the back of the net in the 20th minute when Fingerhuth notched her 11th goal of the season. The Eagles continued to roll, and in the 29th minute, Gebhart scored a goal off an Infante penalty corner.
Lafayette had their opportunities to score, but thanks to the suffocating defense of Patriot League Defensive Player of the year Infante and the four saves by sophomore goalie Alyssa Poorman, Colgate's offense was no match for the Eagles' defense.
In the second half of the game, the Eagles scored their third and final goal of the game when junior Jesika Pufnock scored off a De Wiljes assist. Colgate did score in the 54th minute but was unable to overcome the Eagle lead.
AU finished the season with a 16-4 record. Infante, the Patriot League's defensive player of the year, was also the MVP of the Patriot League tournament. This was Infante's third MVP award in four years. It was more than just Infante's strength that powered AU to its fifth straight Patriot League title - it was a team effort.
With that effort, the Eagles are ready to take on the next challenge - Ohio University, whom the Eagles play on Tuesday in Ohio.
