WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Lafayette field hockey team came out strong in the Patriot League Tournament championship game on Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C., but American got the better of the second half and spoiled the title bid for the Maroon and White, topping the Leopards by a 3-2 score.
 
Lafayette scored just seven minutes into the contest, but American answered to open the second quarter and took the lead at the start of the second half. The Eagles doubled their advantage in the 48^th minute before senior captain Lisa van der Geest made it interesting with a tally with less than a minute to play, but the final 41 seconds were played in the Leopards' defensive half, running out the clock.
 
The Maroon and White finish the 2019 season with an overall record of 12-8, flipping the script on an 8-11 season in 2018. The Leopards went 5-1 in Patriot League play and knocked off Bucknell in the semifinal round by a 1-0 score to reach Sunday's championship tilt.
 
Three Lafayette student-athletes were named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team as seniors Lisa van der Geest and Sarah Park, and junior Anna Steps, were honored. Van der Geest was the 2019 Patriot League Defensive Player of the year, while head coach Jennifer Stone earned Coach of the Year laurels in the conference.
 
For the Leopards' opening goal, the play started from the back line as van der Geest worked it to her right to junior Audrey Sawers, who beat a defender with a down-the-line, on-the money feed to a streaking freshman Tara Hamilton. Hamilton beat her defender to the end line and crossed into the circle, finding senior Cameron Costello for a finish into the left side.
 
On the second goal, it was a well-executed corner that saw van der Geest find the back of the cage. The insert and stops were spot-on by Steps and freshman Simone Hefting, respectively, setting up van der Geest for the strike into the low corner.
 
Final shots totaled at 13-5 in American's favor and the Eagles earned six corners compared to just one for the Maroon and White. Steps and Sawers each recorded a defensive save in the opening 30 minutes, as well.
 
The game serves as the final contest for seniors Sam Di Maio, Costello, DeLongis, Caroline Turnbull, van der Geest and Park. This class took Lafayette to the Patriot League Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2012 and 2013 campaigns and Lafayette athletics wishes them the best in their future endeavors.