NEWARK, Del. - Lafayette field hockey pushed past Delaware, 6-4, using a hat trick by Lena Thedrian on Friday evening at Rullo Stadium.

The Leopards struck first using a goal by Lauren Kurek at the 13-minute mark, closing out the first period on top, 1-0.

Delaware fired back to even the match at 20:17 in the second quarter. Iris Bekker was credited with the Blue Hen tally.

Lafayette was unable to fight off the host's penalty corner strike by Alexa Michielsen just five minutes later, stealing a 2-1 lead.

Senior midfielder Josephine Van Wijk capitalized on a Delaware foul, netting a corner drive at 34:02 to get Lafayette back in the game, 2-2. Lea Good and Katie Gibb added themselves to the score sheet with her assists.

Thedrian put the Maroon and White quickly out front, 3-2, on another corner at 38:11. Her drag flick was aided by Stella Malinowski and Gibb.

The Blue Hens drew a penalty stroke at the 40-minute mark of the third period, which was sent into the net by Rachael Whitehead.

Delaware's Sarah Rigual snuck a goal past the Leopard defense (Q3 44:16) to post a 4-3 advantage heading into the final quarter.

Thedrian delivered her second goal of the evening, scoring on yet another corner with assists from Gibb and sophomore Olivia Krey, at the 48-minute mark to put the game back in a 4-4 knot. The junior defender earned her second hat trick of the season with another mark at 54:40 for a 5-4 lead.

The Leopards kept at it, facing no Delaware goalkeeper in the net as the hosts traded for an extra field player. Malinowski took advantage of the open space, scoring a reverse chip from the far-left side and inducing a sixth and final insurance goal at the 57-minute mark.

Delaware held the advantage in total shots (17-15) while Lafayette led in penalty corners (12-8).

Lafayette's senior goalkeeper Raffi Fragomeni made seven saves in the non-conference battle. Her Blue Hen counterpart, Kristi Merashoff, made one and shared the net with Gabby Prentice.

The Leopards (11-6, 5-1 PL) await their opponent and seeding in the Patriot League Tournament's semifinal on Nov. 6. All games will be available live on ESPN+ and hosted by the No. 1 seed. 
 

For the latest on the Lafayette College field hockey program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteFH and Instagram @lafayette_fh.