The Bison women’s soccer team came up just short in a pair of games this weekend. The Orange and Blue lost 3-1 to 12th-ranked West Virginia on Aug. 27 and narrowly lost 3-2 to Monmouth on Aug. 29. The two losses drop the Bison to 1-2-1 on the young season.

The Bison put forth a spirited effort at home against the nationally ranked West Virginia team. Rylee Donaldson ’23 gave the Bison the lead in the 35th minute, which was her second goal of the season. The goal came following a huge punt by goalkeeper Jenna Hall ’24 to forward Abby Gearhart ’24 who then fed Donaldson for the goal. The Orange and Blue didn’t lead long as the Mountaineers equalized in the 37th minute. The game went into halftime tied 1-1, but the Bison looked like they had a very good chance to pull off the upset. Hall played very well in goal making six saves, keeping the Bison in the match. Unfortunately, the Mountaineers managed to score two goals in the second half to claim the 3-1 victory.

Veteran defender Leanne Engemann ’23 spoke on the team’s effort against the Mountaineers. “We came out really strong against West Virginia and although we are bummed about the result we are motivated to find success when the Patriot League games start.

In their first road game of the season, the Bison also fell 3-2 to undefeated Monmouth. Monmouth got out to an early start, jumping out to a 2-0 lead at halftime. The Bison managed to cut the lead to one after Claire Mensi ’22 converted a penalty kick in the 62nd minute. Monmouth scored five minutes later to restore their two-goal lead on their own penalty kick. The Orange and Blue kept battling up until the final whistle. Kelley Francis ’25 scored her first collegiate goal in the 89th minute, but it proved to be too late for the Bison. The goal was assisted by Donaldson. Hall had another strong game in goal making six more saves.

The Bison will continue their five game road trip in the coming week. The Orange and Blue travel to Mount St. Mary’s on Sept. 3 and then Columbia on Sept. 5. The games will be taking place at 7 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. respectfully.