Bison Field Hockey faces loss, but secures ticket to the Patriot League Tournament

Lianne+Garrahan+%2F+The+Bucknellian+

Lianne Garrahan / The Bucknellian

Brooke Tracey, Staff Writer

The Bison Field Hockey team closed out its regular season at home this past weekend.

On Oct. 31 the Bison faced Patriot League foe Boston University. The game also honored the team’s six seniors prior to the match. The Orange and Blue fought until the end, but a final-minute goal callback resulted in a 1-2 defeat. The Bison finished the regular season with a 3-3 record in the Patriot League, which secured them a fourth-place seed in the tournament.

The Bison were eager to face off against the top-ranked Boston Terriers. Both teams came out on fire, battling to get the first goal. The Terriers were the first to do it in the first quarter, capitalizing on an opportunity just inside of the circle. Boston held the lead until four minutes into the second quarter, when Lily Neilson ’25 edged a shot past the Terriers’ goalkeeper, evening the score 1-1. Both teams entered halftime with a point on the board. 

It was the second half that ultimately decided the game. The Terriers found the back of the net again, this time off of a penalty corner. With less than five minutes left, the Bison knew they needed a goal. In the final minute of play, Neilson scored again. However, the play was later called back for being dangerous. The final minute ticked down, leaving the Bison with a questionable 2-1 loss.

With this result, the fourth-seeded Bison will face-off against these same top-seeded Terriers on Thursday, Nov. 3 in the semifinals round of the Patriot League tournament. 

“We feel ready to take on BU for our first round of the tournament,” Midfielder Reanne Burgess ’24 said. “After playing them this past Sunday, we know that we can keep up with them and win. It will take a lot of hard work from everyone, but we are ready to fight and take on this challenge.”

The Orange and Blue travel to Washington D.C. for Thursday’s match, which will begin at 11 a.m. Streaming will be available through ESPN+.

(Visited 21 times, 1 visits today)