Category: Field Hockey

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.

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.

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.

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.

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer 

The women’s field hockey team split its matches this past weekend, falling in a 2-0 shutout at Drexel on Sept. 13 before rallying to defeat a tough Penn squad 2-1 at home on Sept. 15.

“The team is at a really great place at this point in the season. Every game we have taken steps forward and improved our game. We are playing at a high tempo and competing with top ranked teams,” Rachel Misko ’14 said.

The Bison entered play on a two-game winning streak, but were halted by a tenacious opponent as they traveled to Drexel. The game was a battle the entire way, with a scoreless board until there were just 16 minutes left in the game.

Drexel was able to secure the win as time ran down with another goal in the 65th minute. Goalkeeper Erica Perrine ’14 performed strongly in the net for the Bison, recording six saves as she held the opposing squad scoreless for the majority of the game.

“This week our team once again proved that we can keep up with other competitive programs. During our Friday night game against Drexel, we were able to hold possession of the ball and generate some great opportunities on cage. We tested their defense time and time again while holding strong against their offensive attacks. Unfortunately, some calls by the refs did not go our way, and Drexel was able to capitalize on those rare occasions,” Perrine said.

The Orange and Blue regrouped to face off against Penn in their first home game of the season. The team started off strong with a renewed sense of energy, outshooting its opponent 8-0 in the first half. Abby Watson ’16 took advantage of the pressure for the Bison, nabbing the first goal of the weekend for the squad.

While Penn was able to tie the score up with a goal only 49 seconds into the second half, Leigh Hillman ’14 broke the tie in the 53rd minute of the game with a goal on a centering pass from Maggie Murphy ’15. The Bison were then able to hold off their opponent for the rest of the game.

The Orange and Blue will compete again tomorrow when they start Patriot League play versus Lehigh at 11 a.m.

“By increasing our finishing toward goal and tightening our defense on breakdowns I am confident we will have a successful rest of the season and continue to improve our game,” Misko said.

Lauren Boone

Sports Editor

Women’s field hockey suffered a 1-0 loss to Lock Haven on the Eagles’ home turf thanks to Kiersten Cepeda’s first-half goal. The loss marks the fall of the Bison’s overall season record to 0-2, following a loss at their opening game against No. 13 Iowa last weekend.

Although the Bison had many advantages on penalty corners (6-1), they were unable to muster a successful offensive drive. In just two games, the Orange and Blue clenched a 12-5 lead in penalty corners, but only managed five shots on goal.

The Eagles managed six shots, three courtesy of Cepeda. Goalie Erica Perrine ’14 had two crucial saves, and Liz Wills ’15 and Amie Pritchard ’15 each made a defensive save.

The Orange and Blue will compete next against Missouri State tomorrow in Columbus, Ohio.

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

The women’s field hockey team had a successful weekend, handing losses to both Missouri State and Ohio State, while Leigh Hillman ’14 and Vickie Resh ’14 both earned awards for the week.

“After last week’s losses to both Iowa and Lockhaven, our team had a new resolve to work harder in practice and focus on our weaknesses with more intent and focus. As a result, practice this past week had been more competitive and everyone on our team began to realize our full potential. Based on this new team mantra, we went into this weekend with a new mindset and were able to challenge teams on a new level,” Erica Perrine ’14 said.

The Bison started off their weekend of play against Missouri State as part of the Buckeye Classic hosted at Ohio State. The team’s offense started out on the attack, led by Kiersten Sydnor ’16, who totaled two goals and one assist. Teammates Rachel Misko ’14, Hope Obernesser ’15, and Emma Fitzgerald ’17 also netted a goal apiece. The defense for the Orange and Blue was also strong, allowing only one goal for a final score of 5-1.

The squad continued its momentum when it faced off against a tough Ohio State team. The Buckeyes came out strong, netting two quick goals despite Perrine’s five saves. It was then Hillman’s turn to lead the attack for the Bison, netting two goals to bring the score to a tie at 2-2. Resh sealed the deal in overtime when she scored her third career goal eight minutes into the overtime period to propel her team to a 3-2 victory.

“Historically, our team performs very well in overtime, and we knew that playing against a team like Ohio State would challenge us like never before. We stuck to our basics and continued to apply pressure to their defense, so it was only a matter of time before we would be rewarded. It was an exciting game and it feels great to have our hard work over the past week translate into a win for us in the end,” Perrine said.

The 2-0 showing for the Bison last weekend led to a couple of the team’s seniors being honored for their efforts. Hillman’s assist in the first game and two goals in the second game of the weekend led to her being named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week. Resh was also honored for her game-winning goal in the second game, earning the title of Bison Athlete of the Week.

The Orange and Blue will compete tonight when they travel to Philadelphia for a game at Drexel.

Andrew Arnao

Senior Writer

The field hockey team concluded its season on Nov. 2 after a 4-0 loss to American in the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament. The Orange and the Blue finished with a 3-3 record in Patriot League play, and a 9-10 record overall.

“I’d say that it was an exciting season with goals scored by multiple players, people stepping into new roles and taking them on with determination and a real infusion of emotion into the game by our players,” assistant coach Jamie Montgomery said. “They set the bar high this season and in doing so took real risks trying to get there.”

After facing American the previous week and dropping a close 2-1 contest, the Bison put in a week of practice to readjust and entered last weekend determined to come out on top. The practice appeared to pay off in the first half, where the Bison defense held American to seven shots and only one goal scored right before halftime. However, the usually dominating second half offense did not make an appearance for the Bison, and American was able to tack on three more goals to pull away.

“We traded opportunities to score with them in the first half, and when they were able to capitalize and we were not, it really changed the way we had to approach the second half,” head coach Jeremy Cook said. “Had we been able to put one away in the first, I think it would have gone differently.”

American finished with a 13-4 shot advantage, as well as a 6-4 edge in penalty corners. The Eagles lost to Lafayette in the final.

Goalie Erica Perrine ’14 recorded eight saves to go along with four goals allowed, and finishes the season tied for sixth in program history for wins in a single season. Defender Tayler Siegrist ’13 also finished the season with a team-leading eight goals. Midfielder Kelsey Mucelli ’15 and forward Rachel Misko ’14 were named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team.

“This year was an awesome year for our team,” Misko said. “We were a young team who went out to every game with a lot of heart and the will to win every game … We may not have won the Patriot League Championship but we have made unbelievable strides toward the future as a team.”

Graduating from the team are Siegrist and midfielder Kelly Stefanowicz ’13.

“We are graduating two phenomenal student-athletes this year, both of whom are fantastic representatives of the scholar-athlete model in completely different ways,” Cook said. “I am very proud of them and the whole group; we were relentless in our pursuit even if we came up a bit short at the end.”

“Expectations are big next year … We return a large group of experienced student-athletes that I think have big potential within the league,” Cook said. “Adding a traditionally powerful program like Boston University will change the landscape in the league, but with hard work this spring and a strong incoming class, I think we’ll be in a great position to take another step forward.”

Andrew Arnao
Senior Writer

The field hockey team played a close game at Patriot League rival American on Oct. 27, but could not come out with the win, eventually falling 2-1. Forward Kiersten Sydnor ’16 scored the lone goal for the Bison, giving her a fourth Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor.

“This weekend we had a tough loss to American,” Sydnor said. “We didn’t come out on the field ready to win and weren’t able to capitalize on our opportunities inside our attacking 25. We had spurts of aggressiveness but it wasn’t enough to beat American.”

The Bison fell behind early as American scored 13 minutes into the game. The 1-0 deficit held for the rest of the half, but about 11 minutes after play resumed, Sydnor managed to find the back of the net with an assist from midfielder Kelly Stefanowicz ’13 to knot the score at 1-1. American responded quickly, scoring once again a couple minutes later to put themselves up 2-1. Despite outshooting American for the rest of the half, the Bison were unable to equalize the score.

“Although we lost to American, our team made vast improvements in certain areas when comparing our game this year to the games against them last season,” midfielder Vickie Resh ’14 said. “We need to improve on certain things for next weekend that we have identified and are excited to work on this week.”

The Bison and American offenses proved to be very evenly matched, with each side taking a total of nine shots and the Bison leading penalty corners by a four to three total. Though the Bison offense started out slow in the first half, they responded with a typically strong second half to keep the game close.

“This week we will focus on fixing our mistakes so that we can come out ready to win this weekend,” Sydnor said. “After losing on Saturday, I think we will be very determined and motivated to give it our all during the Patriot League Tournament.”

The loss brought an end to regular season, giving the Orange and the Blue a 9-9 record overall and a 3-2 record in the Patriot League. The Bison are now the No. 3 seed for the upcoming Patriot League Tournament, and will play American, the No. 2 seed after their victory, in a semifinals rematch today in Easton, Pa.

“This past week’s game has also shown us that even though we didn’t, we can win and having that loss will hopefully energize us for Friday’s rematch,” Resh said.