WASHINGTON, D.C. – Junior Audrey Sawers provided the magic in the 53^rd minute, scoring the lone goal of a 1-0 victory over Bucknell in the Patriot League Tournament Semifinal round on Friday afternoon in Washington, D.C., sending the Lafayette field hockey team to its first Patriot League championship game since 2012.

Lafayette advances to the championship bout in its second straight tournament appearance, the first for the program since the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The Leopards will battle top-seeded American for the crown on Sunday at 12 p.m., as the Eagles defeated No. 4 Holy Cross by a 5-1 score in the other semifinal.
 
The defensive effort was outstanding on the day as the Leopards allowed just two shots on just one Bucknell corner all afternoon long, registering their eighth shutout of the 2019 season. That total is the most for Lafayette since recording nine in the 2009 campaign.
 
Senior Sarah Park came up with one fantastic save when it counted, stoning a strong shot from Bucknell's Emily Doyle in the second half to keep the Bison off the board. The back line of senior Lisa van der Geest, Sawers and freshman Simone Hefting kept action out of Park's circle for the majority of the contest.
 
After a first-half that saw little offense with just four combined shots, the Leopards began to take control in the third. Lafayette held a 4-1 shot advantage in the third and an 8-0 edge in the fourth as it looked for the winner with most of the play in Bucknell's defensive half.
 
Following a flurry of corner chances midway through the fourth, the breakthrough came when Sawers received the insert from classmate Anna Steps at the top of the circle and worked with her back to the cage on the right side. After assessing the defense, the junior turned and fired a shot off the keeper's stick and into the far-left side to light the board for the first and only time.