Ajan Caneda
Copy Editor

The women’s soccer team struggled this past week, falling 4-1 against Colgate in its Patriot League opener on Sept. 29. On Oct. 2, the Orange and Blue put up a valiant effort against No. 4 Penn State, but were unable to contain the offensive attack of the Nittany Lions, suffering a 3-1 loss in Happy Valley.

During this season, the Bison (7-6) have gotten off to early leads that have allowed them to control the tempo of the game. In the Orange and Blue’s home conference opener, Colgate struck first, scoring its first goal in the ninth minute of the match. The Raiders continued to pressure the Orange and Blue, reeling off 14 shot attempts and six corner kicks in the first half. A Bison own goal pushed the lead to 2-0 at halftime.

“It was a pretty tough game, and Colgate finished their best chances, while we struggled a bit in that area,” Courtney Nelson ’15 said.

In the second half, Cassie Denger ’15 offered a cross-pass to Evelyn Nicinski ’15, who nailed a goal off of a leaping volley. The Orange and Blue were able to outshoot Colgate 11-10 in the second half. Unfortunately, the Raiders answered with back to back goals in the 56th and 59th minute to seal the game.

Nicinski led the Bison with four shot attempts. Nelson, Kayla Yee ’13 and Chelsey Garkowski ’14 each had three. Goalie Sandita McDermott ’13 finished a complete game with seven saves.

“We can’t let this one defeat keep us down; Colgate is a good team, but we haven’t peaked yet and will keep on improving,” Nelson said.

Following the loss, the Orange and Blue traveled to State College to face Penn State. The Bison were strong defensively, holding the Nittany Lions scoreless for a majority of the first half. A Bison foul led to a penalty kick goal for Penn State, giving them the lead at halftime.

After a Penn State goal in the 58th minute, the Bison countered with a goal from midfielder Jenna Tryon ’13, her first since her first year. Midfielder Taryn Boucher ’13 had a chance for the equalizer down the stretch but was unable to convert. The Nittany Lions scored their final goal in the 74th minute off a cross pass to finish a 3-1 victory.

McDermott had 11 saves, off of 20 Penn State shot attempts, 14 of which were on goal. This is only the second time this season that the Bison have lost consecutive games.

This was the last non-conference game for the Bison, and they look to regain momentum as they return home for two Patriot League contests this weekend. The Orange and Blue face Holy Cross today at 7 p.m., followed by a match against Army on Sunday at 1 p.m.

“As a team, we will be picking each other up and working on communication as we prepare for Holy Cross this weekend,” Nelson said.