The Orange and Blue fought hard in their semifinal game this past Thursday Nov. 4 in hopeful pursuit of their second consecutive Patriot League title. Unfortunately, the Leopards won in overtime and advanced to the championship game. 

The Bison held the lead until there was 19 seconds left in regulation, when the Leopards were able to sneak in a last minute goal and send the game to overtime. A little over two minutes into the first overtime, Rachel Apa ’24 was given a green card and Lafayette converted off the penalty corner. 

All-Patriot League honorees Lily Neilson ’25 and MK Stefanowicz ’22 each tallied goals for the Bison to give them the lead in regulation. Mackenzie Kile ’23, Noor Kaur ’23 and Kayla Kisthardt ’23 all added assists on the day.

The match was back-and-forth, with each team earning multiple shots and penalty corners to put them ahead. The game against Lafayette marks the Orange and Blue’s third straight Patriot League tournament overtime game.

“Obviously we were really disappointed with the loss to Lafayette on Thursday night, but I know the rest of the seniors and I are really proud of how the team fought until the last minute to try and get the time. After winning the Patriot League tournament last year, we knew every single team that we played was going to play their hardest to beat us,” captain Erin Zielinski ’22 said. “I want to say a big thank you to all my teammates and coaches over the past four years, as they have made my time as a member of the Bucknell field hockey team extremely memorable and enjoyable. Go Bison!”

Despite the tough loss, the Bison are looking forward to preparing for another strong season next fall!