The Bison men’s soccer team came back from one goal deficits in their games against Colgate and George Mason this week, earning a tie in both matches.

The Orange and Blue opened Patriot League play against Colgate on Saturday, Sept. 21. The Bison conceded a goal in the opening minutes and were unable to create many goal-scoring opportunities, entering halftime trailing 1-0.

After the break, the Bison controlled the second half and were able to equalize. Matt Thorsheim ’21 netted the tying goal and the Bison earned points against Colgate for the first time in five years. Luke Smith ’23 started in goal for the Bison for the second time and made many key saves to keep the Bison in the game.

Both teams generated multiple chances for goals and had a total of 13 shots each.

The Orange and Blue then faced George Mason on Wednesday, Sept. 24 on a short turn around, once again coming from behind to draw.

The Bison fell behind in the 17th minute when George Mason capitalized on a goal-scoring opportunity. The Bison, for the second game in a row, went into halftime down 1-0 but took control in the second half. Patrick O’Hara ’22 earned a penalty for the Blue and Orange as he was fouled in the penalty box. Thorsheim converted the penalty kick for the Bison and tied up the game. In the final minutes of the game Bernie Wright’s ’20  shot tested the goalkeeper but was denied the goal. The game ended in a draw and resulted in Bucknell’s record going to 2-3-2 on the season.

“We’re excited to get back into conference play after getting a big result on the road against the 3x defending champs, said Trevor Wiggins ’21. The Patriot League is very competitive this year which I think will be good for us. We are a team that thrives when facing a big challenge and this year we have more skill and depth than ever so it’s going to be a fun year”.

The Bison will look to get their first Patriot League win of the season when they host American on Friday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m.