It was a rollercoaster weekend for AU field hockey, while they won against Colgate University, they lost in the final minutes to Princeton University 3-2.
“[This weekend] wasn’t the success that we wanted, because we’re always going for two wins,” AU Head Coach Steve Jennings commented. “But we had a good strong league win and played toe to toe with the number four team in the country, so I think you have to feel good about it.”
The Eagles looked to build off of Saturday’s momentum heading into the match against No. 4 Princeton Sunday afternoon. AU came out determined and drew first blood as Anne-Meike DeWiljes scored off a penalty corner 12 minutes in. Unfortunately, Princeton quickly responded with a goal of its own, as Tiger Michelle Cesan deflected a shot past senior goalie Alyssa Poorman. It was a hard-fought, evenly matched game, in which neither team was willing to budge going into the half.
Senior forward Savannah Graybill broke the deadlock in the first minute after halftime by touching a one-timer from Christine Fingerhuth into the back of the cage. Possession went back and forth between the two teams for the majority of the second half and the focused Eagles had a great chance of pulling off the upset.
Two Princeton goals in the final 10 minutes dashed those hopes. Christina Bortz scored the tying goal, while Kathleen Sharkey snuck the game winner past Poorman in the final minute.
“I thought we played really hard and had some great moments today,” Jennings said. “We’re all bitterly disappointed that we didn’t get a win, but the game was incredibly competitive and we did a really great job overall.”
This weekend’s play puts American at 6-6 on the season, though five of their six losses have come against ranked opponents and four have been by only one goal. Most importantly, the Eagles’ 2-0 league record puts them in good position to repeat as Patriot League champions for the seventh consecutive season.
“This team has so much potential that it’s actually unreal,” Poorman stressed. “We’re a .500 team right now, but I don’t think that any team should ever doubt us; we’re going to take what we’ve learned, move forward, and hopefully produce some results.”
AU field hockey plays the Bucknell University Bison on Saturday and returns to Jacobs Field Wednesday, Oct. 21 for a showdown with Georgetown University.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
