For the first time since 2010, the women’s soccer team notched a win on its home turf versus Colgate, recording a 2-1 victory. Kendall Ham ’18 and Alexis Gannon ’17 scored goals to lead the offensive effort for the Bison, with both goals occurring in the first half of the game for an early lead.

The Bison charged into the game ready to compete. In just the 14th minute of play, Maddie Mulford ’18 was able to get the ball to Ham in the center. From there, Ham capitalized on the opportunity when she sent a shot sailing into the far right side of the net. The score stayed stagnant until the 33rd minute, when the Bison were able to open their lead even further with a second goal from Gannon. After Colgate committed a foul, Karli Cirovski ’18 took a free kick that bounced around before finding its way to Gannon, who fired the ball into the back of the net for the go-ahead goal.

“The game versus Colgate has been circled on our calendars since we lost to them in a heartbreaker in the semi-finals last year. They have ended our season two years in a row, so we were really pumped for the game. Also, our seniors have never beaten Colgate so getting the win for them was important,” Cirovski said.

The second half of the game saw a late rally from Colgate, when the Raiders were able to grab a goal of their own off of a rebounded shot. With the score moving to 2-1 in the 81st minute, the last few minutes of play were crucial as the Bison focused on defensive measures in order to maintain the lead. Due to efforts from Jessica Ratner ’17 in the final minutes of play, their defense was successful and the Orange and Blue were able to emerge as victors.

“It felt great to get the win at home and thus further our home win streak to five straight games. One of our explicit goals this season is to defend our home turf. The win this past weekend was a huge contributor to achieving this goal. Also, playing at home is always a great feeling–love getting the win in front of family and friends,” Cirovski said. 

The Bison hope to continue their momentum when they host Navy on Oct. 10.