The Women’s Soccer team’s entry into the Patriot League finals began with a 4-0 win on Thursday, Nov. 7, with their semifinal match against Loyola at Emmitt Field. The game was secured with four goals from Teresa Deda ’25, Katie Connell ’28, Paige Temple ’25 and Sydney Hess ’26. The game was especially historic because it was the first time that the Orange and Blue have scored that many goals in a postseason game.
Goalie Jess Benattar ’26 was immediately forced into making an important save early on in the game against Loyola midfielder and Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. During the first 10 minutes of play, the Greyhounds held offensive possession of the ball, but the Bison defense stood their ground for the first 45 minutes of the game and didn’t allow another shot on goal during the first half of the game.
Deda began to build offensive momentum for the Bison in the 14th minute after a near shot that went just over the crossbar. Only a minute later, Connell was able to get the Bison on the scoreboard after an impressive assist from Temple that landed in the bottom right corner, putting the score at 1-0.
35 minutes into the game, Hess found her chance and scored the second goal for the Orange and Blue after heading the ball from a corner kick assisted by Deda. Going into the second half, the Bison had more fire than ever, now up 2-0. Kelley Francis ’25 went in hot in the 49th minute of the game, but her shot was ultimately saved by the Greyhound goalie.
Not long after, Katie Schiano ’25 sent a pass right into the box that allowed Temple the opportunity to score the Bison’s third goal of the night. Finally, in the 60th minute, Deda and Connell found rhythm, and Deda was able to score off a chip across the goal by Connell with only a single touch. The Bison had an all-around impressive game, outshooting the Greyhounds 23-13.
After an exciting win against Loyola, it was time to rev up for the Patriot League Championship game against Boston University on Sunday, Nov. 10. It was ultimately a devastating loss for the Orange and Blue, with them facing the end of the most successful championship-winning streak in Bucknell Women’s Soccer history.
Benattar was off to a strong start with a great save against Boston just nine minutes into the game, and the rest of the Bison led the game with a 10-3 shot advantage throughout the first half of the game. Both Deda and Reese Evans ’25 had particularly noteworthy shot attempts on goal, but neither was able to put the Orange and Blue on the scoreboard.
Finally, in the 67th minute, the Bison were able to find their groove after a free kick from Julia Palitti ’27 was headed in by Hess for her second goal of the postseason. The Bison seemed to have security over the win when, out of nowhere, with only 4:27 left in the game, a Terrier defender scored off the left post.
The Terriers and Bison entered overtime, each with one goal, and although Deda had a close goal attempt, neither team could find that golden shot.
With overtime exhausted, the game then turned to a PK shootout. The PK shootout could only be described as a nail-biter. Initially, Boston University was up 3-1, but Benattar kept the Orange and Blue alive after two straight saves. The drama continued to ensue after four Bison were able to score, as were four Terriers. It wasn’t over until Boston University made a final goal to put them above the Bison 8-7, and the Terrier keeper made the next save, ending the game.
The Orange and Blue finished the game with a 15-10 shot advantage, and Benattar finished the game with four saves, while Boston finished with seven.
Deda will also finish with special accolades, as she will graduate as Bucknell’s all-time assists leader as well as fifth in points, 10th in goals with 23 goals, 38 assists and 84 points during her Bucknell Career.
The Bison seniors have so much to be proud of, including three Patriot League Championships, a regular season title, three NCAA Tournament Appearances and four trips to the Patriot League Championship game.
The Bison’s season comes to an end with an astounding record of 12-4-3, while the Terriers will now enter the NCAA Tournament with a 6-7-7 record.
