There are high expectations for this year’s fall sports teams. On the cusp of a new season, here are our teams to watch.

The football team opens its season at home against Marist College on Sept. 2. After going 4-7 last season, the Bison hope to start their season on a higher note.

“As a team we had some ups and downs last season, but overall it didn’t go as well as we had wanted it to. This year, we definitely are using that as motivation and have been working hard all summer so we can build on last year,” John Chiarolanzio ’20 said. The team has its first Patriot League game on Sept. 9 against Holy Cross at home.

Men’s soccer looks to rebound from last year, while the women’s soccer team tries to repeat last year’s success. The men’s team went 7-11-3 and finished with a .500 record in Patriot League play. The Orange and Blue’s first game this year is at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug.25 at home against St. Bonaventure University.

The women’s team, meanwhile, ended up with a 16-2-2 record and went all the way to the NCAA tournament. The women’s team only lost in Patriot League play last season at the hands of Lehigh University, whom they will play at home on Oct. 18.

After an overtime loss to Harvard in the NCAA Championship Play-in Game, the Bison men’s water polo team is out for redemption. They will face Harvard on Sept. 10 at the Princeton Invitational.  With an 11-1 home record to uphold, the Bison will put on a show in front of home fans.

Field hockey returns with a young team for the upcoming season, only three returning seniors are on the roster. Despite the lack of collegiate experience, many of last season’s star players were, in fact, younger members of the squad, now returning for a new season. The Orange and Blue starts with a 1-1 record. Although the Bison lost the home opener to a strong team from Monmouth University, the Bison rebounded and gained momentum with a solid 3-1 win at Temple University.

Bison volleyball started the season off with a solid showing at the Bison Invitational, winning the tournament with a decisive 3-0 win over Saint Peter’s University, in which sophomore Sophie Bullard ’20 was named the tournament MVP. The victories over the weekend bode well as the Bison head further into their fall 2017 campaign.

Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams are ready to run into the new season. The Bison women won the Patriot League championships last year. The Orange and Blue hope to ride this success on through to the Bison Open on Sept 1. The men’s cross country team’s season also begins at the Bison Open, but with the team’s fifth place out of ten finish at the Patriot League Championships, they look forward to a fresh start.

Make sure to catch all of your favorite Bison sports teams in action!