On Sept. 27 at Emmitt Field, the Bison men’s soccer team played American University in their second Patriot League game of the season in front of a Family Weekend crowd. Patrick O’Hara ’22 scored his second career goal in the 78th minute, which gave the Bison the lead, but American answered in the 82nd minute to secure a tie.

The Bison started the game off well against American. In the 23rd minute, Jake Mittman ’22 nearly scored, while Daniel Hallowell ’20 also attempted to score soon after. Despite the fast pace of the game, the Bison put on a strong defensive performance, holding American to zero shots in the first half.

In the second half, the Bison held control again, breaking through in the 78th minute. Bernie Wright ’20 passed to Matt Thorsheim ’21, who then played Mittman for the setup, ultimately assisting O’Hara for the opening goal of the game. Despite the late lead, the Bison conceded an American goal in the 82nd minute to tie the game.

“After the first half, where we had a lot of chances but couldn’t score, we had a lot more urgency in the second half,” O’Hara said. “We were pressing them and moving the ball well, and we created a lot of good opportunities — one was bound to go in. We had talked about getting the ball wide and attacking their outside backs, and Jake was doing that all game and he was able to beat his guy and give me a perfect ball.”

Prior to their game against Loyola, O’Hara highlighted the challenges that the matchup presented.

“We expect Loyola to be one of the hardest games of the season. They are the preseason favorite to win the league; they have the preseason midfielder and preseason forward of the year, lots of experience, and they have never beaten us in the Patriot League,” O’Hara said. “It’s going to be a battle.”

The Bison competed hard, but ultimately came up short in their showdown with Loyola. Loyola found the only goal of the game in the 64 minute and neither team was able to convert another chance. The game was a defensive showcase with the two teams totaling only two shots on goal. With the loss, the Bison moved to 2-4-3 overall on the season.

The Bison will return to action on Oct. 6 when they take on No. 25 Navy in Annapolis, Md.