The Bison field hockey team suffered two losses this weekend, each by a single goal. The first match saw a 3-2 overtime loss on the road at Lafayette on Oct. 30, while the second resulted in a 2-1 loss on the road against Drexel. Despite the losses, the Bison entered the Patriot League Tournament with plenty of hope of making a deep run. 

The game against Lafayette was a back-and-forth game, with the two teams trading goals throughout. In the first quarter, the Bison and the Leopards both scored goals. Lafayette broke the scoring open when a defensive mishap by the Bison left a two-versus-one situation, resulting in a goal. Just nine minutes later,  Mary Kate Stefanowicz ’22 scored on a penalty corner, with Noor Kaur ’23 and Mackenzie Kile ’23 assisting on the play.

Lafayette soon took the lead in the second quarter, making it 2-1 for most of the match. The Bison fought hard to tie it coming out of halftime as they outshot the Leopards 6-2 and saw three solid chances on penalty corners, but the deficit would sit at 2-1 until the waning minutes of the fourth quarter. Emily Doyle ’22 was able to tie the game with just 2:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, sending the two teams into overtime. 

The Orange and Blue were unable to get a shot off in OT, and Lafayette was able to finish their sixth shot to send the Bison home and earn the No. 2 spot in the Patriot League Tournament. Goalkeeper Clara McCormick ’23 had an impressive outing in the cage, making double-digit saves for a second time this season. 

In their final regular season match of the season, the Bison fell to Drexel 2-1. The Bison took the lead in the second quarter when Rachel Apa ’24 was able to score. Despite the lead, Drexel was able to get off a ton of shots that were all kept out by McCormick. In total, the Bison were outshot 11-4 over the first 30 minutes of the contest. 

The Bison were able to maintain the 1-0 lead going into the fourth quarter. Drexel, however, was able to tie the game with about 10 minutes to play off a rebound following a penalty corner. Only three minutes later, Drexel took the lead by managing another goal. The Bison fought hard to find a tying goal, but several good opportunities were thwarted by the Drexel goalkeeper.

The Bison are playing in the Patriot League Tournament as the No. 3 seed for a fifth consecutive season, and a win against the familiar Lafayette Leopards on Nov. 4 would place them in the championship game for a second year in a row.