Patriot League competition continued for Bison Women’s Soccer as they faced Loyola and Boston University last week.
On Wednesday, Oct. 16, the team fought under the lights against in-conference competitor Loyola. Teresa Deda ’25 scored her eighth goal of the season in the 44th minute of the game. The Bison struggled to get a second goal but the strong defense held them afloat until the final whistle.
The Orange and Blue made it extremely difficult for Loyola to tie the game, limiting them to only four shots. Katie Schiano ’25, Julia Palitti ’27, Laura Schmidt ’25 and Meghan White ’26 led the back line with help from holding midfielder, Sydney Hess ’26. All four shots were denied by keeper Jess Benattar ’26.
On the other hand, the Bison pulled off eighteen shots, seven of which came from Deda, who was itching for a goal. Her wish came true a minute before halftime. The play started with Kalli Wethern ’25 who sent the ball in from the left side of the field. A Greyhound defender managed to head it out but the ball was grabbed first by Riley Hayes ’27 who took the shot. Loyola managed to deflect it off the line where Deda then settled and launched it back in through a sea of players and managed to find the back of the net. The Bison finished with a 1-0 win against Loyola.
This marks the team’s seventh shutout this year and Benattar’s fifth. For Deda, she now sits tenth on Bucknell’s all-time scoring list with 21 career goals.
The week ended for the Bison with a Sunday afternoon game against fellow Patriot League leader Boston University on the road.
The Terriers put up the first goal of the day just minutes before the end of the first half. Both teams saw a few more scoring opportunities as the game went on but neither came up successful. Deda had two shots that nearly went in but BU managed to keep the star off the board. Benattar finished the day with five saves.
Despite the loss, the Bison remain at the top of the Patriot League, tied with the Terriers, with a record of 5-2. The team will finish the regular season on the road with matchups against Lafayette and Lehigh next week.
