FIELD HOCKEY GAME CENTRAL

HAMILTON, N.Y. (11/3/10) – The Colgate field hockey team is back in the Patriot League Tournament and will face top-seeded American on Friday morning at 11:30 a.m. at Jacobs Field on the Eagles' campus.

The Patriot League Championship will be on the line in field hockey this weekend, and fans can watch all the action live through Patriot League All-Access.

PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
Colgate and American will play in the first semifinal game, followed by the second game featuring the second-seeded Lafayette Leopards and the third-seeded Bucknell Bison. American is looking for its eighth-straight Patriot League title.

WHAT A WEEK FOR LALLI
Senior goalkeeper Kirsten Lalli's (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) week began with being honored by the Patriot League Monday with goalkeeper the of the week after 20 saves against Bucknell in a 3-2 overtime loss. The next day, she won PL Goalkeeper of the Year and got a first team All-Patriot League nod for the first time in her career. She finished the regular season leading the league and nation in saves per game with 10.38 per contest. On Wednesday, Lalli joined the All-Academic Team as the molecular biology major and education minor achieved a 4.08 grade point average last semester.

BACK IN THE TOURNAMENT
The field hockey team is back in the Patriot League Tournament after a year absence. The Raiders have played in eight tournaments since their first appearance in 1996, when they won their only title. Colgate is 2-6 in the tournament and is 0-3 against American, who the Raiders have played in the their last three appearances.

SENIOR TRIO ARE ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE PERFORMERS
Colgate had three members of the squad make All-Patriot League teams. Lalli made the first team as the goalkeeper and it was her first time joining a postseason all-league team. Senior Laura Denenga (Harare, Zimbabwe) got the jump this year from the second team as she made the first team with 21 points on eight goals and three assists. She was a two-time second team prior to this season. The trio was complete with senior Allison Waugh (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.) earning second team honors after a very consistent season on the backline with a goal and a defensive with starts in all 16 games.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
The ninth-ranked American squad enters the tournament with a 15-3 record and completed an undefeated Patriot League season at 5-0. The Eagles have won 14 of their last 15 games, including 12-straight. Maryland handed American its third loss to snap the streak on Oct. 20.

Patriot League Player of the Year Christine Fingerluth leads the team with 32 points with 15 goals and two assists. She repeated as player of the year with three gamewinners and three goals coming on penalty strokes. Gina Hoffmann is second on the team with 24 points on seven goals and10 assists. Kirstin Gehart and Natalie Ellenberger are tops on the team in assists with 12 and 11, respectively.

SERIES HISTORY
American and Colgate will be playing in the tournament against one another for the fourth time and the two schools with be matched up for the 14th time and the Eagles have yet to drop a game from the Raiders. The series began in 2001 when American joined the Patriot League. Earlier this year, the Eagles took a 6-1 win back to D.C. on Oct. 16.