On a chilly fall afternoon in front of a large crowd at Jacobs Field that included several AU field hockey alumnae, the field hockey team generated plenty of firepower, recording 33 shots in a 6-1 victory over Colgate.The Eagles (11-4, 5-0 PL) applied pressure from the first whistle, and overwhelmed the Raiders (1-15, 0-5 PL) to remain perfect in Patriot League play.
“I thought we played some great hockey today, [we] moved the ball really well [and] made some goals that sort of opened the game up for us,” head coach Steve Jennings said. “I thought we had good connection throughout the day.”
Throughout the match, the Eagles pressed Colgate high up the field and prevented the Raiders from clearing the ball from their defense zone. The pressure yielded early opportunities, and AU almost took the lead five minutes into the match, when junior forward Haley Bowcutt had her close range shot saved by Colgate goalkeeper Maria Krull and senior midfielder Grace Parke’s follow-up attempt was also saved.
The Eagles took the lead minutes later from a penalty corner, when senior forward Jess Davis fired the ball to freshman forward Kathryn Roncoroni, whose low drive flew into the Colgate goal. Davis had a couple shots saved by Krull before senior forward Natalie Konerth scored the first of her three goals in the match. Konerth converted from close range after junior forward Leah DiGiandomenico worked the ball to the end line and found Konerth open in front of the net.
AU added its third goal eight minutes before halftime when freshman forward Emily Hogan worked a shooting angle after dribbling past several Colgate defenders. The Eagles forced Krull into eight saves in the first half.
“Their keeper played very well, [she] kept the score from going bigger than it was,” Jennings said.
Konerth scored two goals in quick succession early in the second half to extend AU’s lead to 5-0. Konerth’s three goals pushed her season total to 12, making her the top scorer in the Patriot League.
The Eagles surrendered a late goal to Colgate when Raiders forward Remi Filippini carried the ball in transition and passed to defender Hennie Cabuhay, who fired the ball past AU sophomore goalkeeper Maura Jacobs.
Sophomore midfielder Rafaela Rubas restored the Eagles’ five-goal lead when she converted a penalty corner off an assist from sophomore defender Rachel Stefano. After a stretch of six straight matches decided by one goal, Jennings said it was a welcome change to build a lead that allowed him to rotate his roster.
“It’s good to score a lot of goals and we like our chances when we can move the ball the way we did today,” Jennings said.
With this victory, the Eagles, who already clinched a playoff spot with last weekend’s 2-1 victory over Lafayette, guaranteed that their season finale against No. 13 Boston University will determine the host of the Patriot League Field Hockey tournament.
The Eagles return to action on Jacobs Field Sunday at 1:30pm for a non-conference match against No. 8 Delaware.
