In their final regular season Patriot League matchup, the Bison field hockey team defeated Lafayette 4-1 on Oct. 27. One day later, the Orange and Blue defeated Appalachian State 3-2 in a non-conference matchup.

The Bison rolled past the Leopards, with each of the four goals coming from different seniors. Katie Mannino ’19, Lexi Quick ’19, M.C. Evans ’19, and Sally Olson ’19 all contributed one goal apiece and helped improve the Bison’s standings to a 4-2 record in the Patriot League and a 9-7 overall record.

Leading halftime at 1-0, the Bison opened the second half of play with a pair of goals less than five minutes apart. A little later, after Lafayette scored their first goal of the game, Olson fired one in the net off a penalty corner with 50 seconds remaining in the game, securing the victory.

Additionally, Brittany Willwerth ’20 tied a school record with three assists in the game, becoming the 11th person to do so in team history.

“In the game against Lafayette, our defense was really solid despite the bad weather. Overcoming this adversity, we displayed really great corner execution, which ultimately ended up leading to three of our goals,” Mannino said.

The Bison returned on Oct. 28 for a non-conference battle against Appalachian State at Graham Field. The team celebrated senior day with a 3-2 victory over the Mountaineers, improving their overall record to 10-7 this season.

The Bison controlled the majority of the game and led 3-0 before giving up two goals in the last two minutes of the game. Megan Keeney ’21 put the Bison on the scoreboard with her fourth goal of the season, deflecting in a shot from Olson. Olson also added her third goal of the season to put the Bison up 2-0.

Kaelyn Long ’21 brought the Orange and Blue to a 3-0 lead with her third goal of the year. Goalie Olivia Harris ’20 made five saves for the Bison in the contest.

“As a team, we are super excited for postseason play. At this point in the season we all know we have to play like every game could be our last,” Long said. “Going into the tournament, we also have nothing to lose and everything to gain…all we have to do is stick to our game plan of playing simple and composed.”

Seniors Olson, Evans, Mackenzie Haney ’19, Claire Lesher ’19, Mannino, Quick, and Nicole Rupnik ’19 ended their careers on Graham Field with a victory and now, together with their teammates, will turn their attention to the Patriot League playoffs. The Bison will play in the semifinal game when they take on American University at Boston University on Nov. 2 at 2:30 p.m.