The Bison women’s lacrosse team is finally beginning their season next weekend after two consecutive cancellations the prior week against Kent State and La Salle University. The season for the Bison slated to begin on the road at Navy on Mar. 7 has now been changed. The women’s lacrosse team will now be facing Lafayette at home on Mar. 13.

In March 2020, the Orange and Blue were 3-5 when the season was postponed owing to the onset of the novel coronavirus outbreak. In fact, their season came to an abrupt halt just two days before they were to compete against the Navy; hence this matchup gave the Bison a chance to pick up right where they left off last season. The now-cancelled match against Navy would have marked the first time the Bison played against another Patriot League team since April 2019, when they fell to Army West Point. 

“This is now our third canceled game due to COVID-19, but I think our team is able to stay hopeful that we will get another game scheduled, or that we will have a game in the following week and continue to work hard towards that goal.  Luckily we got a new game with St. Bonaventure for this Saturday, which will mark 360 days since our last game and we can’t wait to officially start the season!” Julia Bradbury ’21 said. 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Bison will play a much-condensed schedule with only games against conference opponents to prepare for the Patriot League championships in early May. Despite the quick turnaround, the Bison should be prepared as they returned 29 players from their team last season. 

Among the returning players are attackers Eve Calabria ’21, the team’s leading scorer last season with 30 points, and Caroline Walsh ’21, who finished with 10 goals last season. In defense, Abby Neff ’22 will look to keep opponents at bay after leading the team in ground balls last season. In goal, the duo of Caitlin Tucker ’22 and Lauren Kinnee ’21 will look to stop any shots that get by the Bison defense. In addition to the returning players, the Bison were also able to recruit 13 talented freshmen who will look to make an immediate impact. 

“I’m most excited to just get back on the field and play.  Our team has worked so hard through quarantine, summer, and this Fall and it’ll all be worth it when we get to play in a game again. This Sunday we were scheduled to play Navy, but unfortunately they had to cancel the game due to a COVID-19 outbreak on their campus,” Lydia Morgantini ’21 said.

With almost a year since their last game, the Bison look to build on the success they sustained last season and prepare for a run at the 2021 Patriot League Championships.