EMAIL THIS PAGE

May 1, 2004 | Stats

Sophomore midfielder Moriah Linnell scored six goals Saturday vs. Bucknell, tied for the second-most in a game in school history.

HAMILTON, N.Y. — Sophomore Moriah Linnell (Antrim, N.H./Contoocook Valley) led American University women's lacrosse with six goals - tied for the second-most in a game in school history - in a resounding 17-3 victory over Bucknell University Saturday in the semifinals of the Patriot League Championship Tournament at Tyler's Field.

AU jumped on the Bison early, scoring the game's first five goals -- including three by Linnell -- in the first 14 minutes. Senior Nicole McCarthy (Flourtown, Pa./Springfield) and freshman Caitlin Gorman (Springfield, Va./Bishop Ireton) also tallied during that run.

However, just as quickly as AU seemingly took control of the game, the Bison ripped back the momentum. Bucknell scored three goals in five minutes to bring it back within two at halftime, 5-3.

The second half was all AU. McCarthy scored the second of her three goals just 28 seconds into the second stanza, and Tara Michael (Owings, Md./South River) scored the first of her three goals 1:33 later, and the rout was on. American held BU scoreless in the second half, allowing just four shots by the Bison, compared with 21 shots in the period by the Eagles. Sophomore goaltender Kathleen Finnegan (Arnold, Md./St. Mary's) stopped three of the Bison's four chances in the latter period.

AU dominated the game across the board, outshooting the Bison 34-10, picking up nine more ground balls (25-16) and allowing BU to clear the ball successfully just seven times in 16 attempts. Meanwhile, AU was 11-for-11 in clears and scored on five-of-nine free position shots. The Eagles also held BU's Meredith Wright -- the Patriot League Co-Offensive Player of the Year with American's Rebecca Copeland (Webster, N.Y./Webster) -- scoreless.

Nine different players made it to the scoring column for American, including Marisa Richter (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) and Cara Sullivan (Nashua, N.H./Nashua), who both scored their first point of the season with a goal and an assist, respectively. Linnell's six goals were the fifth time an Eagle scored six times in a game, and the most since Copeland scored five goals against Mount St. Mary's earlier this season.

AU moves on to the PL Championship game Sunday at 1 p.m. against host Colgate, 12-9 winners over Lafayette College in Saturday's earlier semifinal.