By Chris McCree
Sports Editor
After two losses, the women’s field hockey team rebounded last weekend with two wins against Holy Cross and Villanova at Graham Field.
“We are so thrilled about this weekend’s wins. It means a lot to capture both wins, because we have not been able to win two in a row up to this point,” Rachel Misko ’14 said.
In their first Patriot League matchup of the season, the Bison shut out Holy Cross 7-0. Maggie Murphy ’15, Gabby Palumbo ’15 and Misko scored to secure a 3-0 lead at the half. Mallory Smith ’12 scored twice within the first 15 minutes of the second half to increase the margin to five.
“As a team, we are most successful when we play together,” Palumbo said. “It’s hard to win when one person feels like the weight of the game is on her shoulders and this weekend really proved that. We played as a team and we were rewarded for it.”
Coming off the win, the Orange and Blue gained a narrow 2-1 victory over Villanova the following day. After 31 minutes of scoreless play, Villanova scored the first goal, but the Wildcat lead did not last long. Just one minute later, Kate Bowen ’12 tied the game with her third goal of the season.
Four minutes into the second half, Misko netted her second goal of the weekend. The Orange and Blue maintained this 2-1 margin for the remainder of the contest.
“This weekend’s games gave our team a big confidence boost. We played a tough team on Saturday and an even tougher team on Sunday. Both games showed us that we can play as a team and we can score,” Palumbo said.
The Bison conclude their homestand this Saturday against Patriot League rival Lafayette. Standing at 1-0 in the league, the Bison are scheduled to face each league opponent once before the final tournament in the beginning of November.