In the first half of its contest on Oct. 4, the women’s soccer team was locked in a defensive struggle with American at Emmitt Field, but three second-half goals led them to a 3-0 victory.

The team’s fortitude was rewarded with 22 minutes remaining in the game after a 0-0 deadlock at halftime, when Sarah Bresette ’17 snuck a left-­footed shot past American, bringing the scoreless battle to an end. Bresette’s teammates followed up the goal with a torrent of offensive pressure.

In the 77th minute, defender Hannah Bonotto ’15 was able to find the back of the net with a header. Bonotto was also successful in anchoring a Bison defense that American was unable to break through.

“I have been determined to score off a corner kick for a few games now. As a center back, I don’t get the opportunity often to make a direct impact for our team offensively, so I love to go up on our corners and am always trying to capitalize on them. One goal was fun, but now I want more,” Bonotto said.

The dominant back four of Bonotto, Courtney Nelson ’15, Lauren Dandie ’16, and Kelsey Witt ’17 limited the opposition to 11 shots. Thanks to a strong defense, Jessica Ratner ’17 was only tasked with two shots on frame from the Eagles after replacing injured starter Jessie Ashworth ’16.

“We have a lot of experience in the back and each game we grow to trust each other more and learn one another’s tendencies,” Bonotto said.

The Orange and Blue finished their explosive scoring in the 86th minute with Danielle Piccirilli ’16 scoring on an open shot assisted by Jackie Ham ’18. Both Bonotto and Bresette contributed their first goals of the season.

“I’m happy with the adjustments we made in the second half. That was probably our [fullest] 90 minutes that we have put together, so I’m really proud of that,” head coach Ben Landis said.

The Bison had a 21­-11 shot advantage, including a 10-­2 advantage for shots on goal. With the first win over American in four years, the Bison earned their second Patriot League victory of the season and sit at 2-1-1 in conference play.

The recent momentum will be needed to lead the Bison past conference leaders Colgate and Boston University before the Patriot League Tournament begins. Before those matches, the Bison will first travel to Annapolis, Md. for a showdown with Navy on Oct. 10.