The Bison field hockey team battled hard this weekend in two tough matchups against James Madison and Lock Haven. Playing one at home and one on the road, the Bison concluded their first weekend of the season with a 1-1 record.

In their home opener on Aug. 30, the Orange and Blue fought hard for a near comeback against James Madison. During the second quarter Emily Doyle ’22 scored her first goal of the season when she tipped the ball into the back of the net off a penalty corner. The two teams continued to fight over the next two quarters of the game, but JMU surged to a 3-1 lead. 

With only minutes left in the fourth, Leah Fogelsanger ’21 tallied her first goal of the season giving the Bison some momentum in the final moments. Fogelsanger converted on a give-and-go from Mackenzie Kile ’23 to make it a one-score game after being down by two. Although the Bison found themselves with several one-on-one opportunities in the last stretch, time ran out before they could tie it up, giving James Madison a 3-2 victory over the Bison.

“The game versus JMU was a great opportunity to play against a team that has tons of skill and speed,” Fogelsanger said. “Despite the loss, we gained a lot of experience, especially for our younger players, and have been able to identify issues that we will fix in order to secure wins in our upcoming games.”

Throughout the game, starting goalkeeper Olivia Harris ’20 contributed nine saves against JMU’s 15 shots.

Despite the loss to the Dukes, the Bison were able to end the weekend on a high, securing their first win of the 2019 season against Lock Haven on Sept. 1. Doyle came through for her team on the Bison’s third penalty corner attempt of the day, giving them a 1-0 edge over the Bald Eagles. That goal would be all the Orange and Blue needed to clinch the victory. 

During the game, the team’s defensive unit stepped up and managed to control heavy pressure in the offensive circle. Harris did her part in goal by blocking two shots throughout the game.

“Lock Haven is a team that always gives us a good run for our money. We were coming off a tough loss to JMU on Friday, but the team really came together and worked as a unit on the field,” Sam Chanzit ’20 said. “It feels really good to have our first win of the season on the road because we have a lot of away games coming up this month.” 

The Bison are on the road once again next week, traveling to Richmond, Va. for contests with VCU and the University of Richmond. The games will be played on Sept. 7 and 8, respectively.