The women’s soccer team stunned the Sunshine State as it swept the schedule, beating Stetson 1-0 on Sept. 12 and Jacksonville 2-1 on Sept. 14.

In a closely matched game at Stetson, the Bison found their opportunities on goal to be limited as they searched to place the ball in the back of the net. Unlike previous games, they were limited to only five total shots.

Despite the tougher defense, the Orange and Blue still found a way to emerge victorious. A connection between Madison Loos ’16 and Cassie Denger ’15 drew a penalty kick in the 67th minute. The penalty kick proved to be the decisive play, and Cora Climo ’17 was able to capitalize, finishing off the shot to make the score 1-0.

The Bison were then able to hold Stetson at this score for the remainder of the game, due to a valiant defensive effort with four notable saves from goalie Jessie Ashworth ’16.

“The Patriot League is very competitive and I think one of our strengths is the depth of our team and our ability to possess the ball. I see the team doing well this season as long as we play to our strengths and play together,” Kendall Ham ’18 said.

Riding a victory wave of energy and confidence, the Bison then headed upstate to face Jacksonville. The Dolphins proved to be no problem for the Bison, as Jacksonville couldn’t harm the Bison’s impressive winning record.

While pressing offensively throughout the first half, especially with a series of shots from Ham, they were not able to get on the board until the second half of the game.

Using the pressure from the first half, the Bison had no problem getting a tally up on the board quickly. Sarah Bresette ’17 connected with Loos to give them the 1-0 lead. Quickly after, Jacksonville countered to bring the score to a tie, but that lasted only a short while before the Bison responded.

Ham finished off a rebounded shot in the 69th minute to place the Bison back in the lead, and 22 minutes later the victory was confirmed. Ham’s goal was her third of the week and she was awarded Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week.

“It feels good getting off to a strong start both personally and as a team. Coming off of the weekend at Florida 2-0 is definitely a positive leading into league play which starts this weekend,” Ham said.

The women’s soccer team (5-3) will look to keep up its four-game winning streak as it travels to Army tomorrow to play its next match and open Patriot League play. The Bison will also travel to Penn State on Sept. 23 to face the Nittany Lions at 7 p.m.