Nov. 4, 2006

Patriot League Field Hockey Championship Page

WASHINGTON - The top two seeds in the 2006 Patriot League Field Hockey Tournament prevailed on Saturday with No. 1 American defeating No. 4 Bucknell, 4-2, and No. 2 Holy Cross topping No. 3 Lafayette, 5-2. The Eagles and Crusaders will battle for the championship crown on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m., in Washington, D.C.

The strong defense of both the American and Bucknell squads was apparent in the first half of semifinal one on Saturday, as the game went scoreless for more than 32 minutes. American senior Camila Infante was the first to light up the scoreboard, successfully connecting on a penalty stroke late in the half.

Infante notched her second goal of the game at 28:12 in the second half off a pass from sophomore Irene Schickhardt. American's senior Heidi Hershberger put the Eagles up 3-0 soon after off an assist from freshman Savannah Graybill.

Bucknell got its first score of the game at 51:26 when Megan Krebs found the back of the net. American sophomore Emily Harwood answered back slotting a deflected a shot by Denise Infante for the Eagles' fourth goal of the game.

Bucknell came up with the last score of the game as junior Chyncia Smith made it 4-2 off a pass from senior Callista Costopoulos with less than four minutes left in the game, but it was not enough as the Eagles held onto the win.

American senior Allison Fayfich made three saves and Bucknell senior Emily Groendyke registered six stops.

The Eagles improve to 13-6 overall (5-0 PL), while the Bison end the season at 7-10 (1-4 PL).

In the second semifinal game on Saturday, Lafayette senior Maggie Condon started off the scoring less than eight minutes into the first half with a goal off a penalty corner.

A few minutes later, Holy Cross junior Sara O'Coin tied it up at 1-1 with a goal off an assist by sophomore Kristin Schultz. Senior Susie Whelan put the Crusaders up 2-1 with 11:20 left in the half. A rookie Leopard, Caitlin Titus, tied up the game at 2-2 with her second career goal.

Holy Cross struck first in the second stanza with two goals by Schultz, who concluded the game with five points, and one from Tara Welch, for her 17th of the season. Holy Cross sophomore goalkeeper Erin Singleton collected three saves.

Holy Cross moves to 14-5 overall in 2006 (4-1 PL), Lafayette closes out the year at 5-14 (3-2 PL).

Both Camila and Welch added to their Patriot League record book totals in points and goals on Saturday. Camila moved into a tied for second all-time in the Patriot League in points now with 135, while Welch remains fourth with 131 points. Welch's career goal total of 57 is second all-time, while Camila moved to a tie for fourth with 48.

America and Holy Cross will meet in the Patriot League Field Hockey Championship game on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m., on American's home turf at the William I. Jacob Recreational Complex in Washington, D.C. This is the same matchup from a year ago when the Eagles came through with a 4-2 victory over the Crusaders. The Eagles will be vying for their fourth-straight Patriot League Championship title, while the Crusaders will be in search of their first crown since 2000, having won three overall.

For up-to-date information including team rosters and past Patriot League champions, click here or go to the Championships tab located on the homepage above the Features block and click on Field Hockey.