Category: Women

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Sports Swimming & Diving Women

Women’s Swimming & Diving Defeat Three Patriot League Competitors

Claudia Silvers
Staff Writer

The women’s swimming and diving team took victory over three Patriot League rivals at home on Nov. 9, defeating Lafayette, American, and defending Patriot League Champion Navy.

Navy has been a strong competitor in the Patriot League, maintaining a streak of 34 straight victories in dual meets before the meet against the Bison. The Mids suffered their first loss to the Bison since the 2005-06 season.

“We were all so excited going into the meet and had the goal of giving Navy some good competition, but in all honesty we were beyond thrilled to have actually won!” Alanna Nawrocki ’16 said.

The Orange and Blue came out with a total of nine first-place finishes. Kelly Pontecorvo ’14 won the 1000 and 500 freestyle, Rachel McGoff ’17 won the 200 free, Katie Hetherington ’15 took first in both the one-meter and the three-meter in diving with teammates Tara Boyle ’15 and Tori Molchany ’15 claiming second and third, respectively. Kristen Purdy ’14 claimed first in the 100 butterfly, and Emma Levendoski ’16 won the 100 and 200 back.

“[It] was a huge win for the team. There was so much energy on deck, and everyone just kept feeding off of each other. That was, I would say, the most exciting swimming and diving meet I have ever been to,” Boyle said.

“I personally think this was one of the best meets we’ve had since I’ve been here. Not only did we remain positive the whole time but we all swam really well. Being a part of this meet was truly surreal,” Nawrocki said.

Jennifer Brennan ’14 said that their “goal this year was to try and be more competitive than Navy,” and the women certainly came out pleased.

“We went in with the attitude that we had nothing to lose and that we were just going to have fun and compete,” Brennan said. “Right from the start of the meet everyone was having incredible races and the energy on deck was insane. It was such a cool feeling to be able to beat Navy … We couldn’t have done it without coming together as a team and most importantly having fun.”

The final scores were 252-48 against American, 248-52 against Lafayette, and 159.5-140.5 against Navy.

The team fought hard and brought the heat and energy to the pool, coming out with incredible wins. The Bison will be back in Kinney Natatorium for the Bucknell Invitational on Nov. 22-24.

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Basketball Sports Women

Women’s basketball drops Season Opener to Pittsburgh Panthers

Thomas Walter

Senior Writer

The 1000th game in program history ended with the women’s basketball team dropping its season opener to Pittsburgh 66-51 in Pittsburgh.

The Bison fell behind early and could not claw their way back against a tough Panthers squad. Audrey Dotson ’15 opened up her junior campaign with an impressive 23 points on 9-14 shooting and 14 rebounds to build on her strong sophomore season.

“Even though we lost against Pitt, I think our whole team is really excited about the rest of the season. We walked away from that game knowing that we have some things we need to work on before our next game, but all of the adjustments we need to make are totally fixable,” Dotson said. “We’re definitely going to keep pushing ourselves in practice to continue getting better for upcoming games.”

After losing Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 in May, the Bison will need to focus heavily on defending the glass this season. Dotson, the only proven forward returning, will be asked to lead the Bison assault on the glass.

“Lindsay Horbatuck was such a tough player and she is definitely missed. Her ability to dominate the boards is a gap that we are going to have to fill this year,” Dotson said. “Lindsay also had such a strong presence in the post, which is another area in which I am working to get better.”

The Panthers gathered an early 16-6 lead, and even though the Bison defense stifled Pittsburgh for several long periods of play, the Bison trailed by 13 at halftime. The Orange and Blue came out strong in the second half behind a pair of free throws by Dotson and a shot by Micki Impellizeri ’15 to cut the Panthers’ lead to nine, but the Bison never gained the lead.

Co-captain Shelby Romine ’14 netted eight points and had eight rebounds. Dotson, the other co-captain, was honored with the title earlier this season.

“My personal goal this season is to help lead the team as well as I possibly can. I’m honored that the team chose me as a co-captain, along with Shelby Romine, and we both take our roles very seriously,” Dotson said. “Whether it is cheering on my teammates or leading by example, I hope to help push the team to win a Patriot League Championship and achieve our true potential.”

The Bison have two major road games coming up. They will face Virginia Tech on Nov. 17, followed by a match against Penn State on Nov. 20.

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Field Hockey Sports Women

Field Hockey loses to Boston University in Patriot League Semifinals

Kevin Nagle

Contributing Writer

The third-seeded women’s field hockey team fell 1-0 to second-seeded Boston University in Washington D.C. on Nov. 8. The Orange and Blue hoped to win this game in order to advance to the Patriot League finals for the second time in the past three years.

The Bison dominated much of the game, outshooting the Terriers 11-7. This was the most shots the Bison have had against a Patriot League opponent since dominating Holy Cross on Oct. 12 in shot attempts (23-1). The Bison simply could not put the ball past the Terrier goalie.

“We were right in the game this past weekend,” Rachel Misko ’14 said. “Everyone played their hearts out but it just didn’t go our way in the end. I couldn’t be more proud of my team!”

The Bison were in it the entire game, surrendering a goal in the first half and then shutting the Terriers out for the rest of the game. Boston advanced to the Patriot League Championship in just their first season in the league. The Terriers ultimately lost in the final to American on Nov. 9.

The Bison finished the season with an overall record of 8-10 and a winning record (4-2) in the Patriot League. The Bison had a difficult schedule this year playing against five nationally ranked teams.

“Throughout this season, we consistently got better, played tougher opponents, and challenged ourselves more than ever in program history. Our game against Boston was a tough loss and a heartbreaker, but I have no doubt that the team will keep getting better and be able to get a win next year and bring home the Championship. I couldn’t have asked to end my career with a better group of girls,” goalie Erica Perrine ’14 said.

In her last game as a Bison, Perrine made five saves, totaling to 271 stops over her four-year career. This game also marked the last games for seniors Misko, Leigh Hillman ’14, and Vickie Resh ’14. The three of them combined for 18 goals and six assists this season.

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Field Hockey Sports Women

The Bison Ram Past the Scarlet Knights to Celebrate Senior Day

Devan Schulte

Contributing Writer

With a strong offensive effort on Nov. 3, the women’s field hockey team earned a 5-2 home victory over Rutgers to boost the team’s overall record to 8-9 (4-2 Patriot League). After celebrating their careers, the team’s four seniors helped capture the win over the Big East opponent, whom the Orange and Blue had yet to defeat since 1984.

“We came out today ready to go and not only play as a team, but also play for the seniors,” Emily Hitchings ’16 said.

The Bison started the game strong, immediately taking shots and capturing the first penalty corner opportunity in the eighth minute. The team utilized a new corner play against the Scarlet Knights, with Amie Pritchard ’15 capitalizing off a shot by Vickie Resh ’14, putting the Bison on the scoreboard early. With a continuous strong defensive effort, the Orange and Blue were able to keep Rutgers off the board for the rest of the half. In addition, Abby Watson ’16 and Kiersten Sydnor ’16 exploited a messy scramble in front of the opponent’s net, as Watson assisted an upper cage flick by Sydnor to put the Bison up by two right before the half concluded.

The game continued to heat up in the second half, as five more goals were added to the scoreboard. In the 46th minute, Rutgers quickly slimmed down the lead to 2-1. The Bison countered three minutes later as Estelle Palandjian ’17 captured her first collegiate goal off a tough shot from the top of the circle.

Two seniors concluded the scoring for the Bison, as Leigh Hillman ’14 and Rachel Misko ’14 put the final two goals on the board for the Orange and Blue. The Scarlet Knights continued to fight and managed to put one more goal away, but a tough defensive mindset and execution kept the score at 5-2, and the Bison seniors walked away with their last victory on Graham Field.

“It was an amazing feeling to finally beat them, especially on Senior Day. Our team played with incredible heart and I couldn’t have asked for a better game to end my career at Bucknell with,” Hillman said.

Erica Perrine ’14 guarded the net the entire game and recorded two saves. In addition, Perrine, Resh, Hillman, and Misko were honored before the game as the team’s four seniors.

The Bison will head to Washington, D.C. this weekend for the Patriot League tournament, where they will look to avenge their loss (Oct. 19) from earlier in the season to Boston University Terriers on Nov. 8.

Categories
Soccer Sports Women

Women’s Soccer’s shutout in home finale clinches tournament berth

Doug Hendry

Staff Writer

After missing the Patriot League tournament in 2011 and 2012, the women’s soccer team clinched a spot in the playoffs this year with a 2-0 shutout against Holy Cross at Emmitt Field on Oct. 26, its fifth shutout of the season.

It was Homecoming Weekend and Senior Day for the Bison, and they knew that destiny was in their own hands. The scoring started in the first half for the Bison, as a defender deflected a Cassie Denger ’15 strike into the net to give the team a 1-0 lead. The Crusaders sent in a barrage of shots towards the end of the first half, but Jessica Ratner ’17 stopped everything in her way in her first collegiate start.

The game went back and forth in the second half as Holy Cross tried to equalize, but the defense stepped up once again, limiting the Crusaders to only a few quality opportunities on offense. Offensively for the Orange and Blue, Chelsey Garkowski ’14 scored with less than five minutes remaining on an assist from Courtney Nelson ’15 to put the game away. This was the fourth goal of the season for the senior, ensuring the Bison fans would leave the stadium happy.

“Helping the team clinch a tournament berth was unbelievable, especially on Senior Day. To be able to start for the first time and get the shutout is something I have honestly dreamed about since I was in high school,” Ratner said.

Holy Cross had 12 total shots, and Ratner made seven saves to secure her first shutout and second win of the season. The Orange and Blue also performed strongly on offense, putting together 18 total shots. Garkowski recorded four shots, while Liz Dwornik ’14, Evelyn Nicinski ’15, and Sarah Bresette ’17 had three shots apiece. This constant offensive pressure led to the ninth straight victory for the Orange and Blue over Holy Cross.

Garkowski, Dwornik, Bridget Gilmartin ’14, Corey Tipton ’14, and Alex Degarmo ’14 were all honored before the game, as this was their final regular season home game as Bison. It was also the 100th career win for head coach Ben Landis.

The Bison are now 7-8-1 overall and 4-3-1 in Patriot League play, with 13 points in the Patriot League standings. In a tie for fourth place with American, the Bison are still in contention for a home game in their quarterfinal match. The Bison’s regular season finale will be on Nov. 2 at Boston University at 2 p.m.

“Going into Boston University, I think the focus needs to be on keeping possession of the ball and playing our hearts out, not just to get the win but for each other. Boston is a really good team and in order to beat them we have to work together, keep possession, and never give up,” Ratner said.

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Sports Volleyball Women

Strong Bison Defense result in two home victories for women’s volleyball

Emily Evancho

Assistant Sports Editor

The women’s volleyball team hasn’t left the court in the past two weeks, playing four matches and bringing home two victories against Loyola (Md.) on Oct. 11 and Howard on Oct. 15.

In the match against Loyola (Md.), the Bison easily pulled a 3-1 victory over the Greyhounds. Playing for the offense, Jordan Walker ’17 smacked down 10 kills while Rose Lewis ’14 aided with 19 assists. Katie Price ’16 added 15 digs for the defense. Karen Campbell ’16 performed especially well, providing the Orange and Blue with nine kills and a team-high of six blocks.

“I think ever since our win against Loyola we have had great team chemistry on the court and I see good things in our future,” captain Morgan Mientus ’14 said.

The chemistry was in no shortage on the court when the Bison took on Howard. Walker led the team again in kills, racking up 13, closely followed by Campbell with 11 kills and a match-high .429. Keane Brazda ’17 provided 19 assists and Mientus dug deep with 13 digs for the Orange and Blue while Erika Eastley ’17 posted a match-high of nine blocks throughout the match. The Bison efforts were more than enough to pull through with 3-2 victory over Howard.

The Orange and Blue brought their spirit to the court in both matches against Colgate but it failed to translate to the scoreboard. In the first match against Colgate on Oct. 18, Mientus, Kristen Titley ’14, and Jessica Serrato ’14 all pulled through with seven kills each.  Lewis also contributed with 14 assists while Eastley gave four blocks and three aces. Still, the Bison fell 3-0 against Colgate.

Although the team worked well together, the second match against Colgate ended in the same way. Titley and Walker both registered seven kills while Meghan Wentzel ’16 gave 10 assists and Lewis had seven digs. The Orange and Blue couldn’t keep the ball, dropping another 3-0 decision into Colgate’s lap.

“I think we lost a hard fought match to Colgate, they are a great team and I think we really surprised them,”  Mientus said. “Hopefully we bring the intensity we had against Colgate into all of our matches for the second round of Patriot League play. If we can do that I think we have a chance to upset some people and hopefully make it to the Patriot League tournament.”

The Bison will take the court against Army tonight at 7 and Holy Cross tomorrow at 5 p.m. Both matches will be played at Davis Gym.

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Golf Sports Women

Women’s golf place 10th at Rutgers Invitational

Gabriella DeRosa

Contributing Writer

The women’s golf team traveled to Piscataway, N.J. to take on 19 other teams at the Rutgers Invitational on Oct. 14-15. The Bison ended day one in third place, but throughout the tournament they moved down to 10th place, with a total team score of 329.

The Bison did well on day one, shooting four scores in the 70s, but no one was able to break 80 on day two. 

“It was a great feeling going into the final day sharing a tie for the lead,” Bridget Wilcox ’14 said. “The final round was tough … I just tried to stay with my game and play against par. [It was a] disappointing finish but I learned a lot from the experience.”

Wilcox had a share of the individual lead after the first round with a 1-over-73 and ended with an 81 in round two. 

The Bison are preparing for their last event of the fall on Oct. 28-29 at the Palmetto Intercollegiate at Kiawah Island, S.C.

“We have a new strategy going into the next tournament and the team is amped,” Wilcox said.

Categories
Field Hockey Sports Women

Bison still stand strong in League despite three hard-fought losses

Devan Schulte

Contributing Writer

After defeating Holy Cross 7-0 to increase their record to 7-5 for the season on Oct. 12, the Bison failed to put a goal away in the next three consecutive games. The field hockey team still holds a spot in the Patriot League Tournament despite three tough losses to Penn State (0-2), Boston University (0-2), and New Hampshire (0-3) this past week. 

Abby Watson ’16 was named Patriot League Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Week after recording an impressive hat trick against the Holy Cross Crusaders. The team put together an impressive offensive effort, as four different players were able to put points on the board for the Bison. The team also showed strength on defense, allowing the Crusaders only one shot the entire game.

The Orange and Blue then faced a tougher opponent in No. 8 Penn State when the Nittany Lions traveled to Lewisburg on Oct. 13 to take on the confident Bison. After letting up an early goal off a corner, the Bison continued to fight against their ranked opponent, but were hurt again 19 minutes in when Penn State secured a second goal. Goalkeeper Erica Perrine ’14 refused to allow any more goals, and the defensive effort of the Bison greatly improved in the second half. The team managed to prevent the Nittany Lions from capitalizing on any more corners, one of the opponent’s strong suits.

“This game was very important because it gave us the opportunity to prepare for our other Patriot League games by exposing our weaknesses and by practicing what we are good at against a very competitive team,” Perrine said.

On Oct. 19, the Orange and Blue headed to Boston University where their defensive efforts were once again put to the test. After falling behind 1-0 early in the match, the Bison kept the game tight and had a few opportunities to tie up the score. Unfortunately, the Terrier goalkeeper retained a shutout by stopping any of the Bison’s dangerous chances. Although the Orange and Blue continued to battle, Boston managed to put away a second goal and increase their lead in the second half. The Bison did not manage to find the back of the net for the remainder of the game but still remain confident after gaining their first loss in Patriot League play.

“Losing to BU this weekend gives us the fuel to come out and prove to ourselves that we can beat them when we see them again in playoffs,” Emily Hitchings ’16 said.

The Bison continued their journey to New Hampshire on Oct. 20 to take on the Wildcats. Coming out strong, the Orange and Blue generated chances on goal but could not put any past the Wildcats goalkeeper. Perrine was unable to hold off the Wildcats for long, as New Hampshire found the back of the net 23:50 in and came out extremely strong in the second half to score two more times.

Although the Bison left New Hampshire with a loss, the team is ready to prepare for another tough Patriot League opponent this weekend in Washington D.C. as the Orange and Blue take on American tomorrow at noon.

“We are stronger than I’ve ever seen my four years playing, and if there is anything that we can take from our game against Boston, it’s that we have a real shot of winning the tournament this year,” Perrine said.

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Cross Country Sports Women

Women’s XC prepare for PLC at Leopard Invitational

Jonathan Towers

Contributing Writer

The women’s cross country team traveled to Lafayette University on Oct. 19 to race in the Leopard Invitational, in a preview of what is to come at the Patriot League Cross Country Championships on Nov. 2.

The Bison raced against six of the 10 Patriot League affiliated schools, as they familiarized themselves with the course and competitors that they will compete on and against for the Patriot League Championship. The Bison finished second out of 14 teams.

Catherine Scott ’17 was the top Bison finisher for the women on the hilly 6k course in 22:45, putting her in 13th place overall.

“The teamwork on this team has made this a great first season of cross country because everyone is so encouraging and supportive. I am very excited for leagues because our team has a very good shot at winning it,” Scott said.  

The remaining scorers for the Orange and Blue finished within seconds of each other with Montana DiPietrantonio ’15 leading the way in 15th place in 22:52, followed by classmates Katie Jessee ’15, Kylie Pearse ’15, and Zoe Gaston ’15 all finishing in 17th, 18th, and 19th place in 23:01.04, 23:01.80, and 23:02.66, respectively.

“In the race on Saturday, we stuck together as a pack throughout the majority of the race and achieved the goals Coach Donner hoped we would,” Gaston said. “I think this gives us some confidence and sets us up well for a successful championship meet in two weeks.”

Overall, the Bison ran solidly as a team and put themselves firmly in the conversation of potential Patriot League Champions. The Patriot League Championships will be at 11 a.m. on Nov. 2 at Lafayette.

Categories
Field Hockey Sports Women

Hat-trick for Misko ’14 leads field hockey to victory

Emily Evancho

Assistant Sports Editor

Hat-trick for Rachel Misko ’14 leads women’s field hockey to victory

Rachel Misko ’14 made sure to impress the families this past weekend with three goals for the Orange and Blue, while teammate Maggie Murphy ’15 assisted on two goals and added the final goal in a 6-2 win over Colgate on Sept. 28.

“Saturday was such an exciting game. We didn’t get discouraged after being set back one goal in the first half,” Misko said. “We had no doubt in our mind that we could beat Colgate by just playing our game and popping in a few goals.”

The Bison dominated the scoreboard from the first blow of the whistle. Only 1:06 into the game, Kiersten Sydnor ’16 rebounded the ball to Kelsey Mucelli ’15 who was able to backhand the ball into the circle and back to Sydnor, who added the first Orange and Blue goal to the board.

For the next several minutes, the defenses on both sides played like brick walls until Colgate could push through to tie the Bison 1-1. Goalkeeper Erica Perrine ’14 performed one of her five magnificent saves for the game when Colgate broke through the defense with only ten minutes left in the first half. The Raiders slid through with only 2:29 to go in the half, bringing the score at halftime to 2-1.

“Even though we were down at halftime, we went back to our basics and to what we had been practicing all week, knowing that there was still time to recover. We knew that eventually our hard work would translate into some goals for us offensively, as well as no goals against us defensively,” Perrine said.

Returning for the second half, it was a different game. The Bison showed no mercy as Misko scored the first of her three goals with an assist from Murphy. Only about four minutes later, Misko seized the opportunity again to reign the net when she took a goal off a penalty stroke. The score stood still for several minutes until Leigh Hillman ’14 scored with an impressive long shot from the top of the circle. Misko completed her third goal at 62:44, working with Murphy again to deliver the Bison to a 5-2 stand over Colgate which Murphy herself brought to a 6-2 final with only 29 seconds left in play.

“The win against Colgate was great for our team mentality. Scoring five goals in the second half especially after being behind at the end of the first was such a huge confidence boost,” Murphy said. “We were under a lot of pressure, but we absorbed it. By working together we put away more goals than they could recover from.”

The field hockey team will go head to head with Lafayette tomorrow at Easton Pa., followed by a match against No. 18 Temple on Oct. 6 in Philadelphia.