The American University field hockey team (9-5) triumphed in a 5-0 rout of the Towson University Tigers (6-10) on Oct. 8. Goals from junior forward Jordan Reicher, junior defender Sophie Willemse, junior midfielder Elle Ridge, freshman forward Ninthe Botman and freshman defender Lotti Süme secured the Eagles’ sixth win in a row, in a dominant display at Jacobs Field.
The Eagles started on the front foot, with junior midfielder Alyssa Freeman firing a dangerous ball across the striking circle in the opening minute of the first quarter. Moments later, junior midfielder Emilia Winkler carried a pass from Willemse to the edge of the area and fizzed a pass across the face of the goal for an open Botman to convert American’s first goal of the afternoon.
The Eagles did not allow their momentum to drop and were awarded two penalty corners in quick succession during the fourth minute of the game. Senior midfielder Agustina Roffo completed a driving run down the right-hand side of the field before being impeded by the Towson defense.
Sophomore defender Olivia Morraye’s penalty corner stroke was laid off by Winkler for Süme, whose powerful shot was deflected just wide of the goal. Morraye’s second stroke again found Winkler on the edge of the area, but her shot was well cleared by the Towson back line.
The Eagles defended well and avoided any serious threat to their lead until the final minute of the first quarter, when a miscommunication at the back allowed Towson an opportunity to even the score. However, freshman debutant goalkeeper Teagen Harmon was equal to it and kicked away the shot from Tigers sophomore forward Olivia Miller to maintain the Eagles’ advantage.
Towson aimed to get back early in the second quarter, with sophomore midfielder Anouk Westerink powerfully carrying the ball to the striking circle and firing her shot just wide of the left post.
The Eagles quickly recovered their form and won a penalty corner in the 20th minute after junior midfielder Ashley Huddleston was impeded. Junior defender Mia Edwards’ shot was saved by senior Towson goalkeeper Tessa Scheenstra, who reacted quickly to stop Süme scoring from the rebound.
American didn’t need to wait long for another opportunity, as Winkler carried the ball to the edge of the area from inside her own half. The ball found Reicher, whose shot bounced off Scheenstra’s outstretched foot and into the far corner to put the Eagles 2-0 up in the 23rd minute.
Towson came back strongly in the final five minutes of the quarter in pursuit of a goal, with graduate student forward Ella Kaufman powerfully carrying the ball to the area and firing a strong shot over the bar at the stroke of halftime.
The Eagles reasserted their dominance after the break and created a series of dangerous attacking chances. Roffo fizzed a powerful cross into the striking circle in the 32nd minute, but the ball skipped everyone to go wide moments before Freeman’s powerful shot was deflected behind the goal by the Tigers’ backline.
Junior Eagles forward Emma Guydish then sent in a powerful cross, but sophomore midfielder Kendall Varty couldn’t make the right connection to tap it home at the left post. Moments later, Winkler’s driving run was well intercepted by junior Towson defender Lydia Bennett, before Botman’s shot was saved at the near post by Scheenstra.
American was awarded a penalty corner in the 41st minute, after the ball struck Miller on the foot. Botman’s powerful delivery found Winkler on the edge of the area, who set up Willemse to secure the Eagles a 3-0 lead with a strong shot into the roof of the cage.
American maintained their attacking dominance in the final quarter and was awarded another penalty corner. Willemse’s wide shot, from sophomore midfielder Kylie Briggs’ delivery, was collected by Ridge who scored the Eagles’ fourth goal of the afternoon after skilfully losing her defender and sending the ball beyond the outstretched foot of Scheenstra.
Scheenstra was called into action again with a diving stick save in the 52nd minute to prevent freshman defender Maddy Snyder’s shot from nestling in the bottom left corner. Another American penalty corner was awarded after a scramble in the area. Junior defender Sarah Steinman’s delivery was smartly laid off by Winkler for Süme, whose sweeping shot found the back of the cage to give the Eagles a 5-0 lead.
Towson continued to fight until the end, and Harmon made two smart saves to keep out strong shots from junior forward Arden Hunteman and Westerink in the final five minutes of the game.
The best chance of the quarter came in the 57th minute, when freshman midfielder Maura Read narrowly missed connecting with a pinpoint pass from fellow freshman Sydney Huddleston in front of an open goal. It proved inconsequential, as the final whistle sealed the Eagles’ sixth straight victory and fifth shutout of the season.
Associate head coach Kristin Matula said after the game that she was thrilled with her team’s mature and well-rounded performance.
“I think it’s a complete game,” she said. “You want to have as many opportunities as possible on the attack and I think we did that with the 16 shots we had. And then defensively, limiting them to one corner is awesome and a testament to making sure that we’re doing our job on both ends of the field.”
Goal scorer Ridge was overjoyed by her individual success. “Today is actually my dad’s birthday and my parents surprised me and I’m just really happy that I made them proud today,” she said.
Reflecting on the team’s overall performance, four-time assist provider Winkler praised the versatility of her team.
“I think the fact that we have five different goalscorers just shows the strength of our players,” said Winkler. “It’s not just one person scoring all the goals, it’s a team effort and I think today we showed up as a team.”
The Eagles lost to Virginia Commonwealth University 1-0 in double overtime on Oct. 12, and beat Bucknell 3-2 on Oct. 17. They also beat Richmond 4-2 on Oct. 19. The away slate will finish with a game at Lehigh on Oct. 24 and one at Delaware on Oct. 26. The Eagles finish the regular season at home against Holy Cross on Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Avery Grossman, Ava Stuzin and Ryan Sieve.
