After several tough losses to begin the season, the women’s lacrosse team grabbed its first two victories of the year at home this past week. The bench provided the spark to lift the Bison past American 11-10 on March 29. After the win, the Orange and Blue cruised to a 22-8 victory over Howard on April 1. Claire Switala ’15 produced hat tricks in both games, while Lindsey Ferro ’14 dished nine assists.

“The energy really came from each and every player on our team,” Switala said. “From our bench to our starting players, our team couldn’t be more supportive of one another. I think that’s a really special quality our team has. I couldn’t be happier for Lindsey; she really came up big yesterday with some great feeds and an awesome finish.”

After Maddy Molinari ’17 scored the first goal of the game on March 29, American produced five unanswered goals and looked to put the game away early.

The Bison showed their fighting spirit by countering with six straight goals. Emily Kookogey ’15 and Switala each scored two goals during the run. Molinari and Cori Thielemann ’15 also contributed goals before American closed the first half with a score of their own.

Ferro, who missed last season with a knee injury, was the main catalyst this past week for the Bison.

“Everyone on our team works so hard at practice to push each other and get better. So when Claire [Switala] and I got a chance to go in, we were ready to help our team,” Ferro said. “We have historically had a good connection on the field and that definitely showed on Saturday.”

Switala completed her hat trick to begin the second half off a Molinari assist. Both teams continued to trade goals, as Sophie Kleinert ’14 and Katelyn Miller ’14 each registered a goal to push the lead to 10-7. In addition to her three assists, Ferro scored the last Bison goal off the assist from Kookogey. Goalie Elizabeth Duswalt ’17 secured the win by making a game-saving stop with 1.8 seconds to spare.

“My defense fought extremely hard to get the ball back which is why I was able to make the save that I did. They forced American to take a shot that was of low percentage and at an ideal angle for me to make the save,” Duswalt said.

Caroline Collins ’15 grabbed six draw controls to conclude a sensational win for the Bison. The Orange and Blue continued their scoring tear against Howard. The Bison finished with a 45-19 shot advantage.

Miller exploded with a career-high matching six goals. Thirteen Bison scored in this game, as their offensive firepower was on full display. Becca Golding ’17 and Annie Gilbertson ’17 scored their first career goals.

The Bison began the game on an 8-2 run and did not look back from there. They scored eight goals in the final 18:36 to cap an incredible week.

“A win like this is huge for our team. Going forward, we still have a chance of making the Patriot League Tournament and that is a huge motivation for us as a team,” Ferro said.

The Orange and Blue celebrate Senior Day tomorrow at 1 p.m. against Holy Cross. Eight seniors will be honored before the game.

“I’d love for us to have a big day against Holy Cross on our Senior Day,” Switala said. “I know the whole team is really looking forward to playing for our eight amazing seniors.”