The Bison women’s lacrosse team improved to 4-1 overall with two wins over Monmouth and Wagner. This is the team’s best five-game start since 2009.

In the contest against Monmouth on Feb. 22, the team strode to a 14-10 win, with Sarah Galzerano ’18 leading the way with a career-high five goals. On the defensive end, Annie Gilbertson ’17 led the team with seven ground balls and three caused turnovers.

After a slow first eight minutes, the Bison got on the scoreboard when Galzerano put up two goals, followed by tallies from Eve Lukowski ’18 and Maddy Molinari ’17. Soon enough the Hawks finally scored, but the Bison did not back down.

The game was strikingly even on the stat sheet, as each team attempted 24 shots and won 13 draw controls. Goaltending would prove to be a deciding factor for the Orange and Blue. Jamie DeWitt ’19 finished with seven saves in goal, while Elizabeth Duswalt ’17 recorded one save in relief time.

The Bison then faced Wagner on Feb. 25 and won 16-6. Gilbertson led the defense with eight caused turnovers, breaking a school record. Collectively, the Bison forced 30 total turnovers, limiting the Seahawks to just 14 shots.

On the offensive end, the Bison scored on 16 of their 23 shots for a .696 shooting percentage. Nine different Bison players scored, including Molinari, who led with five of her own.

The Orange and Blue stole the momentum after tying early in the game, leading 6-3 going into the second half. After Wagner brought the score to 7-4, the Bison pulled away with a 7-0 run. Tace Sutherland’s ’20 first career goal, the 14th of the contest, sent the game into running clock and sealed the victory.

“This week was a huge success for us because we gained two non-conference wins against teams that we have previously beat in past seasons. Our games against Monmouth and Wagner will ultimately help us prepare and adjust for Patriot League games in the coming weeks. It is crucial that we continue to learn from these games and focus on them one at a time,” Molinari said.

The Bison will host Manhattan at Graham Field on March 5 at 1 p.m.