The Bison lost a close game to American in Patriot League play, losing 3-2. 

American scored the goal in the fourth quarter, claiming victory over the Bison. Even with the Bison’s loss, they clinched a guarantee to the Patriot League tournament.

The goals from the Bison came from Lily Neilson ’25 and Rachel Apa ’24 , with Neilson’s goal coming only three minutes into the game. The Orange and Blue outshot American 6-0 in the first period, but the Eagles had a strong performance in the second quarter. 

This was Neilson’s eleventh goal of the season, being the Bison’s leading goal scorer. Clara McCormick ’23 was the Bison’s goalie, making the initial save on the American player’s penalty corner before another player got the rebound. 

Kira Leclercq ’26 drove to the net, with Apa redirectly the ball and scoring her fifth goal of the season. The Bison outshot American 14-12 in the game, but ultimately fell to the Eagles at the end of the match. 

Even though the Bison lost the game, they still qualified for the Patriot League Tournament. 

The Orange and Blue play Lock Haven in a non conference match on Sunday, following their game against American. The Bison won 3-2 at Graham Field. 

Neilson scored three minutes into the second quarter, having three goals on the weekend. Kayla Kisthardt ’23 also found the back of the cage, scoring right before halftime.

The Bison with assists on the day were Kisthardt, Mackenzie Kile ’23, Leclercq, Isabella Pavlides ’25 and Nicky Punt ‘26. 

The Orange and Blue had Nora Frederick ’25  in goal, having four saves in the match. 

Lock Haven had better play in the third quarter, but Neilson buried the game winner with 4:41 left, giving the Bison their second win in the month of October. 

Neilson has 13 goals on the season, which is tied for the ninth-most in a single season by an Orange and Blue player. 

“I think we have learned a lot from the games we played this last month,” Defender Kari Melberger ’24 said. “We are ready to take the next step into the tournament and use everything we have learned all year in those upcoming games.”

The Bison had clinched the tournament for the fifteenth straight year, with only one regular season game left on Oct. 30. The Orange and Blue take on Boston University for a game that will determine the Bison’s seeding in the tournament.