The Bucknell Men’s Soccer squad went through a busy weekend, taking on Maryland and No. 22 George Mason on the road back-to-back. Both contests came down to the wire, with the Bison on the right side of that suspense in one contest, and the wrong side on the other.

On Aug. 29, the Bison headed to College Park to take on the Terrapins. For the fourth straight game, the Bison ignited a comeback effort to avoid a loss. 

Maryland quickly took a 2-0 lead via two goals scored within six minutes of each other. After that, however, the Bison defense limited the Terps’ opportunities and eventually allowed Bucknell to claw its way back into the match.

Just before the end of the first half, Jackson Sullivan ’26 netted a penalty shot to bring the Bison within a goal heading into the locker room. The Orange and Blue continued to shut down Maryland offensively to keep itself within arm’s reach. Freddie Lapworth ’26 made seven saves on the night, including four within the first 18 minutes of the second half. In the first three minutes of the half, Lapworth halted a penalty shot by the Terrapins that would’ve shifted the momentum right back into Maryland’s favor.

With under ten minutes to go and the Orange and Blue still down a goal, a remarkable header from Ben Sheffield ’26 tied the score at 2-2, eliminating a once two-goal deficit.

The Bison were outshot 16-6 against the Terps and still managed to walk away with a draw.

On Sept. 2, the Bison traveled to Fairfax, VA to face off against No. 22 George Mason, in what would be a heartbreaking end for the Orange and Blue. 

The Bison once again found themselves in a two-goal deficit, this time heading into the half scoreless. It didn’t take long for the Bison to capitalize heading into the second 45 minutes, as Zane Domsohn ’26 and Jack Lucas ’27 tallied goals just 13 minutes apart to notch the score at 2-2.

The Bison again put their defensive tenacity on display, containing George Mason’s scoring attacks for the majority of the second half. Then, in the final minute, the Patriots had one more go and were able to capitalize. Lapworth deflected a shot that went straight back to another GMU player, and a goal was scored for the Pioneers to take a buzzer-beater 3-2 lead and win the match.

Now 2-1-1, the Bison return home next to face Old Dominion on Sept. 7.