The Bison field hockey team experienced their first Patriot League loss of the season this Saturday against the 25th-ranked American University. The Bison lost on the road to American in a close contest that finished 3-2. The loss moves the Orange and Blue to 6-4 (2-1) on the season

American jumped out to a 3-0 lead after scoring in the 42nd minute. The Bison were able to chip away at the lead less than four minutes later, to make the score 3-1 going into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately the Bison were not able to find the back of the net again until 34 seconds left in the game. This proved to be too little time for the Orange and Blue to try to find an equalizing goal as the game ended 3-2. 

Mackenzie Kile ’23 and Emily Doyle ’22 scored the two goals while rookie Lily Neilson ’25 led the Bison in shots. Moreover, the Bison held an 8-6 edge in penalty corners showing their attacking prowess. American did lead the game 12-9 in shots, but it was a slim advantage.   

“It was a really exciting game and our team put up a really good fight against American. Even though we lost, we realized where we needed to improve on our offense and defense,” Doyle said.

The first quarter saw two penalty corner opportunities from the Orange and Blue but unfortunately were unable to convert those chances to goals. In the second quarter, American had momentum totaling six shots and seeing all three corners. The first came after three minutes into the quarter from American’s Gaby DeKock who was assisted by fifth-year senior Noor Coenen. American struck again roughly five minutes later off of another corner. Clara McCormick ’23 made the initial save, however, American’s Josie Formica intercepted the clearance and scored unassisted. This put the Bison in a 2-0 deficit heading into halftime. 

The Orange and Blue started the second half with great pressure, outshooting American 4-3 in the third quarter. Despite the Bison efforts, American’s Coenen slotted a ball through traffic to score with 3:43 left in the quarter. 

“The whole team is excited to play American again, hopefully in the Patriot League Tournament, so that we have another chance to pull through with a win against them,” Kile said.

The Bison will be traveling to number two ranked Penn State on Oct. 9 for their next match. The game is set to start at 2 p.m.