April 22, 2008

WASHINGTON - The Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Tournament will kick off on Friday at William I Jacobs Recreational Complex with top-seeded American University getting things started at 1 p.m. against Navy in the first of two semifinals. The Eagles, who went 5-1 in conference play, earned the right to host after clinching the regular season championship by beating previously undefeated Colgate, 13-10.

American will look forward to a rematch with Navy, after dropping a nail-biting 13-12 decision to the Midshipmen back on April 1, in Annapolis. The Eagles spotted the Mids an 8-0 lead before making a furious comeback in the second half, falling short as time expired. American outscored Navy 10-4 after trailing 9-2 at the half..

"I think that our team knows we can play better and looks forward to the opportunity to take on a good Navy team on our field in the post-season," American head coach Katie Woods said. "We're coming off two strong conference wins and hopefully we can continue to build from our momentum and play to our potential against a quality opponent."

American is hosting the event for the first time since the 2003 season when the Eagles won and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Second-seeded Colgate will play Lehigh, the third seed, at 3:30 p.m. in the other semifinal, with the winners meeting on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Jacobs. Price of admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens and children. All students from participating schools will be admitted free with a valid school ID.

The winner of the Patriot League Tournament will host the winner of the MAAC Tournament in the NCAA Tournament Play-In Game on May 3 or 4.