The AU field hockey team clinched the regular season Patriot League title Oct. 26 after defeating the Bucknell Bison 1-0 at Jacobs Field.
In a physical, hard-fought contest that saw both sides receive numerous green and yellow cards, the Eagles were able to poke in a goal in the second half to seal the victory.
This marks the 10th time in the last 11 seasons in which the Eagles finished first in the Patriot League regular season. Nine of those 10 years the Eagles also won the Patriot League Tournament.
The first half saw very few shots as the Eagles (11-4, 5-0 PL) and the Bison (7-9, 4-2 PL) kept the game between both shooting circles, creating very few opportunities.
One of those opportunities came at the 23:30 mark when AU earned a penalty corner, which was inserted by junior midfielder Carly Atchinson, but was not converted. Senior goalie Ashley Dalisera was integral in preserving the scoreless tie, totaling two crucial saves in the first half.
With the win, Daliersa earned her fourth shutout of the season
The Eagles made adjustments near the end of the first half to open up the game and those adjustments carried into the second half. The team stepped up its aggression and pressure as Bucknell was forced to keep the majority of their squad entrenched in their shooting circle.
“The team started finding better passing lanes and were able to better connect things together- both teams focused more on playing hard defense instead of pattern play,” head coach Steve Jennings said about the adjustments.
After a slew of shots and penalty corners, the Eagles finally had a golden opportunity to score against Bucknell.
They threaded passes and took the ball up the entire length of the field. Junior forward Katie Rothenhoefer shot from the right side of the penalty circle. The shot was initially rebuffed by the Bison’s goalie, but was then scored at the 57:37 mark by sophomore midfielder Isabel Terwint to put the Eagles in the lead.
In this high stakes affair Bucknell pushed forward the full contingent of its players in the final 10 minutes, but were rebuffed by a stout Eagles’ defense.
“We’ve had an incredible amount of shutouts in the Patriot League, and some of those games have been very strong and competitive games where we’ve been under a lot of pressure, they are an experienced group with a lot of pride that was able to step up together,” Jennings said of his defense.
The Eagles clinched the Patriot League regular season title with this victory and will finish the regular season home with a game against William & Mary on Oct. 27. The Patriot League tournament begins Nov. 8 at Jacobs Field.
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