After a hard-fought battle in the season opener, the Bison field hockey team fell short to the Colgate Raiders, 2-1. Despite dominating the game and holding a 15-3 edge in shots, the Bison were not able to capitalize on their scoring chances. “Though we were definitely disappointed by the end result, we worked really hard and learned a ton throughout the entire game,” Erin Zielinski ’22 said. 

Colgate struck first 9:12 into the match, and this was their only shot in the first half. The Bison controlled possession for most of the day and finished with a 15-3 edge in shots and a 9-1 advantage in penalty corners, but the Colgate goalkeeper made 11 key saves. The Bison finally found the back of the net with just five minutes to go in the third period, scored by Kari Melberger ’24, her first collegiate goal wearing orange and blue. The game was only even for 66 seconds, however, as Colgate scored off a feed with 3:30 left in the period. 

Early in the fourth quarter, Payton Kenney ’22 had two quick shots in tight, but the Colgate goalkeeper stayed strong. With 59 seconds remaining, the Bison were rewarded a corner. Sarah Dimock ’21 took the shot that was saved, and Rachel Apa ’24 found the rebound, but could not finish. “Today was a great opportunity to identify some of our weaknesses, and we will definitely use this game to better prepare us for competitions in the future. Our team has a ton of grit, and I can’t wait to showcase our hard work next weekend,” Zielinksi said.

The Bison may have not gotten the result they had hoped for, but they travel to American on Mar. 14 to take on the Eagles. They will look to turn it around and take down the 2019 Patriot League Champion. The game will start at 2 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.