The Orange and Blue hosted the Lafayette Leopards on Sept. 15 for both teams’ first Patriot League game of the season. After a tough battle in which the Bison outshot their opponent 16-6, the Bison fell to Lafayette 2-0 at Emmitt Field.

The Bison have had a tough season so far, holding a 2-6-1 record overall, and 0-1-0 in Patriot League play following their latest performance. Applying pressure and earning opportunities in this matchup, the Bison prevailed in shot advantage and in corner kicks, leading with a 9-1 margin for the latter.

During the first half, the Bison nearly took the lead a little over 20 minutes into the game when co-captain Ali Russo ’20 sent a cross for Emilene Parham ’22 to head in, which ultimately went just wide of the net. The play remained in Lafayette’s half as the Bison tried again with a corner kick sent to Claire Mensi ’22. A quick scoop by the Leopards’ goalie resulted in a quick transition downfield.

As Lafayette took control, the Leopards sprinted ahead in a breakaway, sending a shot towards Bison goalie Theresa Adu-Attobrah ’20. Despite getting a touch on the ball, the shot proved to be too powerful as it rolled into the back of the net, putting the Leopards in the lead in the 30th minute.

Having previously displayed the team’s ability to work for a full 90 minutes against top-ranked teams, the Bison fought on into the second half. Kate Henesey ’22 made the first attempt at tying the game up, sliding for a ball just off the left post.

Other attempts included efforts by Maddie Dano ’19 and Russo, as well as Mensi and Gabby Bair ’20, who had three shots apiece. With just 3:35 minutes left to play, Lafayette fired another shot in the goal, finishing the match with a two goal edge.

“The result in our first league game against Lafayette wasn’t what we had hoped for but we have had a good week of practice working on things that will hopefully bring us a better result against American,” Bair said.

The Bison will look to capitalize on their chances when they take on American University in another conference matchup at 2 p.m. on Sept. 22.