Starting off the weekend, the Bison faced Wagner College at home. The Orange and the Blue dominated this game from the beginning.
Recording a plethora of shots within the first quarter, the Bison were unable to capitalize on these opportunities. Wagner forced Sarah Althouse ’27 to make a save, but not much else occurred until the end of the second quarter. Gianna Puorro ’26 made a great play, taking the ball herself and passing it off to Lily Neilson ’25 who took a reverse shot, scoring the first goal of the game.
The Bison defense, with the brick wall Mia Fields ’24, kept Wagner from exploiting any opportunities. The Orange and Blue scored its second goal on a penalty corner with an insert from Puorro and Fields shooting a rocket off and sparking a group celebration. In the fourth quarter, Zoe Carlson-Pietraszek ’25 was able to finish the game with a goal off a fast break. She pulled around the diving goalkeeper and sent it into the cage, ending the game with a 3-0 Bison win.
The Bison had a quick turnaround, facing Holy Cross the next day for Patriot League play. The beginning started off going back and forth between the teams. Tallulah Fuhs ’25 substituted in, and one minute later, she scored the first goal of the game and the first of her career. Hope Davis ’25, who has been making her mark on the field for the Bison, sent in a ball to the circle, and Fuhs was able to push it around the goalkeeper.
The rest of the first half was back and forth again, but the Bison mainly dominated with possession. The third quarter showed off the skills of the Bison defenders. Kira Leclerq ’26, Kari Melberger ’24, Fields and Davis held down the fort, not allowing the Crusaders to have a single shot. Fuhs came up with another goal off a penalty corner. She ended the game with a 50 percent goal average and a career day of two goals off of four shots.
The Crusaders were able to come back in the fourth quarter, tying up the game. The game went into double overtime until Neilson was able to capitalize on one of the attacking penalty corners. An insert was sent out by Puorro to Fields. Fields slipped it to Neilson to soar the ball into the right corner. The final score was 3-2: a Bison win!
This was a great weekend for the Orange and Blue, continuing their undefeated streak at home. Catch these ladies next weekend in Massachusetts to face Boston University and UMass Lowell.
