In a tight match against American University, the women’s soccer team pulled ahead with a go-ahead goal from Talia Szatkowski ’19. The goal was important for the Bison as it sealed their win in addition to marking the first goal of Szatkowski’s collegiate career. This win carries the Orange and Blue to a record of 7-5-3 on the season.

The two teams fought neck and neck for the majority of the first half, with both teams struggling to pull ahead. Just before halftime hit, Jackie Ham ’18 was able to get a cross into the center, where Szatkowski capitalized on the opportunity and finished to score what would ultimately be the winning goal for the Bison.

“I was a little stunned as I saw the ball going into the goal and then realized that I scored. I slid into the ball and gave it everything I had as I was going down, not at all sure if my aim was even on. It felt so good to be able to contribute to the win from Jackie’s assist on her cross to me. It was a perfect time for me to score my first collegiate goal,” Szatkowski said.

Other notable performances came from the defensive line, as they helped goalie Jessica Ratner ’17 seal the shutout. Jackie Ham, Karli Cirovski ’18, Lauren Dandie ’16, and Kelsey Witt ’17 held down the defense for the Bison during the entire game, and Ratner finished with three saves. Offensively, Kendall Ham ’18 challenged the American defensive line with five shot attempts to apply offensive pressure for the Bison.

“Each game in the conference is a big challenge and an important win for us. Honestly, we take it game by game and try not to look further out than our next win,” Szatkowski said.

The Bison will travel to Bethlehem, Pa. to play Lehigh in their next match on Oct. 24.