The American University field hockey team (3-5) lost a close, hard-fought battle to the University of Delaware Blue Hens (4-3) 1-0 on Sept. 22. The Jacobs Complex bleachers were packed with 381 fans in attendance, with both American supporters and Delaware fans who made the cross-state journey down to D.C.
Despite the Eagles’ significant advantage in shots, shots on target and penalty corners, they did not pull off a win. American finished with 17 total shots, eight shots on target and nine corners. For the most part, though, American’s defense was stellar throughout, keeping control of possession of the ball and limiting Delaware to just seven shots, five on target and one corner.
The first quarter was evenly fought with both teams trading possession back and forth. Each team ended the first with two shots and one save, but the second quarter was where Delaware pushed the pace with a newfound energy. Less than a minute into the quarter, freshman midfielder Kate Janssen got into the shooting circle, where she shot the ball right through American’s graduate goalkeeper Bryn Underwood’s legs for the first goal of her collegiate career.
With just under seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Delaware defender Valentina Martorell picked up a yellow card, taking her out of the game for most of those crucial final moments. Following the penalty, the Eagles tried to get one more chance to score. Just before Martorell’s five-minute suspension was up, forward Jordan Reicher got on the inside of the circle and got a shot off that would have equalized the score with one minute to go in the game, but Blue Hen’s goalkeeper Cecile van Eijck made an excellent save to secure the win.
Since their last 2-0 win against William & Mary on Sep. 20, the Eagles made the adjustments they were hoping for, cutting down on their yellow and green cards. Last game, the Eagles picked up three yellow cards and one green card, but against Delaware they kept a clean sheet with no cards given to them.
The Eagles will look to use this game and the number of opportunities their offense generated to gain momentum towards defending their Patriot League title, head coach Steve Jennings said. They will enter Patriot League play on Sept. 27 on the road against the Lafayette College Leopards. American will have to convert on their goal-scoring opportunities against Lafayette, who is averaging almost two goals per game this season.
“I think we just need to keep getting 2 percent better, find ways to be better on the margins because we did so many things right today,” Jennings said. “We just didn't end up having the finishing touch. We were super, super close, and if any of those [shots] go in it's a different game. So really happy about how we're playing, overall from a process standpoint, and now we just have to be a little bit better on some of the outcomes.”
The Eagles are looking forward to their next challenge against the Leopards, Jennings added.
“I think that there's a lot of excitement, a lot of unity in the group, and a lot of determination,” he said. “I'm confident they'll keep working and find a way to get us to the winning side of things.”
The team next travels to take on the Lafayette Leopards on Sept. 27. After a game at the University of Pennsylvania on Sept. 29, they return home to face Colgate University on Oct. 5 in their Patriot League home opener.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Delaney Hoke and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Sydney Kornmeyer and Ella Rousseau.
