On Feb. 8, in their first game of the 2020 season, the Bison women’s lacrosse team topped Sacred Heart University, 18-9. In their first game under the leadership of newly hired head coach Jackie Dando, the Orange and Blue were led by Eve Calabria ’21, who racked up seven points on four goals and three assists.

Hoping to improve from last season’s 4-13 record overall and 2-7 record in Patriot League, the team recently welcomed Dando with open arms. Having freshly won 62 percent of her games as head coach of the Lebanon Valley women’s lacrosse team, the new coach started the season with a solid victory.

Starting the game scoring early and often, the Bison strode to an early 7-0 lead. On the offensive side, numerous players collected multi-goal games, including Calabria (4), Morgan Steinhacker ’20 (3), Sarah Monteleone ’22 (2) and Tegan Warren ’20 (2). Over the course of the game, 10 different Bison players scored a goal.

Dominating the defensive effort was Abby Neff ’22, who collected a career-high seven ground balls and forced five turnovers. These accomplishments earned Neff Bison Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career.

“It’s all about the team. Our team chemistry is uncanny which gives me the confidence to take risks in the game because I know if I get beat, my teammates are there to back me up and pick me up,” Neff said.

In goal, Lauren Kinnee ’21 made five saves in goal while Caitlin Tucker ’22 made three. Making an impact on the draw control were Steinhacker, Julia Bradbury ’21, Jessie Britton ’20 and Mason Rode ’21. Steinhacker’s four controls in this game makes her the ninth Bison to register 100 in a single career.

In terms of overall statistics, the Orange and Blue held the advantage in shots 37-25 and draw controls 19-11.

The Bison followed up with another exceptional performance on Feb. 12 defeating Binghamton by a score of 16-9. Starting the game on an 11-3 run, the Bison never looked back and dominated every facet of the game. The Orange and Blue have now scored 34 goals in only their first two games of the season.

Eve Calabria followed up her season-opening seven-point performance with another seven-point performance consisting of four goals and three assists. Caroline Walsh ’22 scored a hat trick while Emma Cashwell ’22, Kate Fiore ’20 and Julia Bradbury all scored two goals apiece. Morgan Steinhacker, Tace Sutherland ’20 and Kali Peeples ’21 were the other goal scorers for the Orange and Blue. The defense also held strong for the Bison. Gabby Walsh ’21 forced two turnovers and collected two ground balls, while Lauren Kinee ’21 was solid in goal saving nine shots. 

The team will be back in action when they travel to face Hofstra on Feb. 15 at 2 p.m.