Patriot League Official Athletic Site

Nov. 5, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. — The Patriot League Field Hockey Championship will open up with the defending champions taking the field against the League’s surprise team, along with a rematch of a 2008 semifinal mathcup between Bucknell and Lafayette.

American (9-8, 4-1), seeded No. 1 for the seventh straight season, will host No. 4 Lehigh (6-10, 2-3), which was selected to finish in sixth in the League’s preseason coaches’ poll.

Led by the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Kim Eng, the Mountain Hawks exceeded the preseason expectations to earn the fourth seed. Eng’s three goals in a 3-2 win over Holy Cross helped the Mountain Hawks win the tie-breaker over the Crusaders and grab the final playoff spot.

Also slipping past Holy Cross to qualify for the tournament was No. 3 Lafayette (13-5, 2-3), which won its final three League games after starting 0-2. The Leopards, led by the Goalkeeper of the Year, Kelsey Andersen, will compete against second-seeded Bucknell (12-6, 4-1).

The Bison finished in a tie for the regular-season title for the first time in school history.

The League Tournament begins at 11 a.m. Friday at the William I. Jacobs Recreational Complex in Washington, D.C., with American hosting Lehigh. Bucknell and Lafayette will follow at about 1:30 p.m.

The League title game is slated for a 1:30 p.m. start on Saturday.

Fans can also follow the game on Twitter or on the League’s Gameday Blog. Fans who sign up for Twitter (or who already have a Twitter account) can receive score updates on their cell phones.

All games will be available to watch through the Patriot League’s All-Access Package.

No. 1 American (9-8, 4-1 Patriot League)

The Eagles saw their 46-game winning streak over League opponents end during the season, but they still garnered their seventh straight No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament.

Savannah Graybill led the Eagles on offense with 11 goals and two assists, ranking third in the League in points with 24. Teammate Christine Fingerhuth, the 2009 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, finished with 23 points (10 goals, three assists).

Defensively, First-Team All-League defenders Anne-Meike de Wiljes and Anne van Erp helped Second-Team All-League keeper Alyssa Poorman hold opponents to a 1.40 goals against average.

The Eagles have eight losses on the season, but five have come against teams ranked in the nation’s top 20.

No. 2 Bucknell (12-6, 4-1 Patriot League)
The Bison claimed a share of the Patriot League regular-season title for the first time in program history. They also won 12 or more games for the first time since 1999 (14-7) and won four Patriot League games for the first time since 2005 (4-1).

Morgan Kauffman led the Bison with 20 points, including a League-best 10 assists. She has 25 in her career.

Teammate Corinne Raczek was second in the League assists with nine.

Sarah Ebright has anchored the Bison defense, recording two defensive saves in front of senior keeper Jessie Atieh, who is holding opponents to a 1.69 goals against average.

Bucknell is sixth in the nation with 9.41 corners per game.

No. 3 Lafayette (13-5, 3-2 Patriot League)
The Leopards boasted the League’s best defense, holding teams to a 0.85 goals against average. Kelsey Andersen, named the Goalkeeper of the Year, recorded a League-high eight shutouts and posted a League-best .795 save percentage.

Offensively, Lafayette was led by freshman Deanna DiCroce, who was second in the League in scoring with 26 points (12 goals and two assists). She averaged 1.50 points per game. DiCroce also had five game-winners for the Leopards who have won a League-best 12 games thus far in 2009.

First-Team All-League defender Meghan Cicchi anchored the Lafayette defense to a League-best 0.89 goals against average and posted a League-high eight shutouts. The Leopards defense ranks fifth in Division I in goals against average. Cicchi also had a goal and two assists, including the game-winning tally in a win over American. She also recorded one defensive save on the season.

No. 4 Lehigh (6-10, 2-3 Patriot League)
The Mountain Hawks grabbed the fourth seed in the playoffs behind the offense of Kim Eng, who scored a League-best 13 goals. She also led the League in points with 34 points.

Defensively, Lehigh was led by Lauren Cawley and Taryn Hartzell, who combined for 11 defensive saves. Cawley led the League with seven.

Their defense helped junior keeper Lilia Stefaniwsky get acclimated in her first season, as she posted the second-best save percentage in the League with .754. She also had a 2.79 goals against average.

Tournament History
The Patriot League held its first field hockey championship in 1994. American leads the way with six tournament titles (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008), while Holy Cross (1997, 1998, 2000) and Lafayette (1995, 1999, 2002) each have three. Colgate (1996), Lehigh (1994) and former Patriot League field hockey member Fairfield (2001) have each been crowned Patriot League Tournament Champion once. In the first four years the Patriot League declared its champion as the team with the best regular-season record, which was Lafayette in each of those years.