The field hockey team had an eventful weekend, facing  Holy Cross on Oct. 21 and Lock Haven on Oct 22. The Bison won both games 2-1.

The Orange and Blue entered the Oct. 21 game in a three-way tie with Holy Cross and Lafayette for the final two places in the Patriot League Tournament and for third place in the overall standings.

Prior to the game against Holy Cross, the Bison honored seniors Stephanie Dressler ’18, Emily Finn ’18, and Emily Johnson ’18. Dressler scored the first goal of the game and goalkeeper Finn had several saves.

“Knowing that beating Holy Cross would mean that we secure a spot in the Patriot League Conference and having it on Senior day really amped our competitiveness,” Finn said.

The Bison led 1-0 for the majority of the game thanks to the fast goal by Dressler less than two minutes in.

The Orange and Blue entered the second half with a 1-0 lead, but Holy Cross got on the scoreboard in the 44th minute. After a well-executed defensive play, M.C. Evans ’19 scored the game-winning shot with 1:21 left on the clock.

Finn was able to stop eight of the nine shots that she faced. She adjusted well to the offensive efforts by coming all the way out to the crease in order to stop a shot by close range. After this win, the Bison improved their record to 6-2 at home and moved to the number three seed in their conference.

“Winning on Senior Day, and securing a spot in the Patriot League Championship for my fourth time…is an amazing feeling,” Finn said.

The following day, the Bison had another 2-1 victory over Lock Haven thanks to a game-winning goal by Leah Fogelsanger ’21 with 15 seconds left in the game.

Nicole Rupnik ’19 opened the game strong for the Bison by scoring a goal within the first four minutes. The goal came after a deflected shot by Lexi Quick ’19, who has six assists this season.

Six minutes later, Lock Haven tied the game. The game remained tied until Fogelsanger’s goal in the last 15 seconds gave the Bison a lead. However, the Bison dominated the second half with a 9-2 lead in shots and a 6-0 lead in penalty corners.

Finn once again had a strong performance in goal, stopping all but one of the shots she faced.

“Our theme for the week was grit, which is all about pushing through exhaustion and being in a positive mentality no matter what happens in the games. We were able to score early, and stayed strong throughout both games, getting the goals near the end, despite being tired,” Finn said.

This was the Bison’s third one-goal win of the season. They have two more games left in the regular season before beginning their play in the Patriot League Tournament. The Orange and Blue will be on the road as they face Boston University on Oct. 28 and Yale on Oct. 29.