By Ajan Caneda

Contributing Writer

After starting the season 0-3, including losses to ranked BU and Princeton, the Bison women’s field hockey team came away with its first victory in an overtime thriller against Central Michigan last Saturday at Ann Arbor. They went on to lose their next game 5-0 to Michigan on Sunday.

The Chippewas got off to an early 1-0 lead before the fourth minute of the first half, but Kate Bowen ’12 knotted the game off a rebound in the second period with her first career goal. The Bison had multiple opportunities to score in the second half and nearly doubled the amount of shot attempts that the Chippewas had, with 13 overall for the game.

The game went into overtime, and forward Rachel Misko ’14 scored the winning goal 2:24 into the period with an assist from Mallory Smith ’12.

“We were able to push through by giving everything we had. We knew that the game was ours and we were not about to give it up,” Misko said.

“I thought we outplayed them for a majority of the game. We are very young this year, with three freshmen starting, and another couple getting a ton of playing time. We were very happy with our effort level and the result,” coach Jeremy Cook said.

The Bison followed their victory with a tough loss at No. 14 Michigan in Ann Arbor.

“Michigan is the defending Big Ten champion, and any time you have the opportunity to play a team like that is a great experience,” Cook said.

The Wolverines started the game with two first-half goals in the first 12 minutes of the match. The Bison’s comeback hopes were squashed in the second half when Michigan scored nine minutes into the period, putting the Bison in a 3-0 hole. The Wolverines outshot the Bison 17-4 and 11-2 on penalty corners. Goalie Erica Perrine ’14 had six saves for the Orange and Blue, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the relentless Wolverine attack that cruised to a 5-0 win.

“We felt good about our effort, and even better that they exposed some of the areas of our game that need improving. The team is always working hard, and I feel good about the direction we’re heading,” Cook said.

“It was an awesome experience to travel out to Michigan and play a team from the Big Ten,” said midfielder and forward Jennifer LaBarre ’14.  “‘But your butt’ is our motto, and our team has been nothing short of that.”

The Bison look to bring that determination into their next match as they travel to Lock Haven to take on the Bald Eagles on Sunday.