This past weekend the field hockey team traveled to Lewisburg, PA, to take on the Bucknell Bison. Although the Raiders held the lead after the first half of the game, the Bison ended up taking the 6-2 win.

The Bison were the first on the scoreboard, with sophomore Kiersten Sydnor quickly scoring off a rebound in front after only a little more than a minute. Junior Amanda DiDomizio made two fast saves in goal once the Bison began to put pressure on the Raiders, but Sydnor effectively chipped a shot over DiDomizio and into the net.

Not long after the first Bison goal, the Raider offense responded with a strong rush up the field. The ball made it to senior Olivia Nabhan at the top of the circle, at which point she fired a shot that senior Halle Biggar tipped into the net to tie up the game 1.With 10 minutes left in the first half, Nabhan had another great opportunity to score. After a big breakaway, she pushed on past the Bucknell defense and took her shot, but senior goalie Erica Perrine reached out at the last second to deflect the shot just wide of the post, making the save and keeping the game tied up.

At the very end of the first half, with less than two minutes to go, the Raiders earned their first lead of the game. First-year forward Whitney Jones connected with senior Meredith Gibson, who scored her first goal of the season on a clean tip at the far post.

After holding a lead in the first half the previous week, the Raiders hoped to change the result; however, the Bison were persistent and the Raider defense could not respond.

In the second half, the Bison came out roaring with five unanswered goals. Bucknell senior Rachel Misko took a successful backhanded shot from the top of the circle early in the half, tying the score for the second time in the game at 2.

Only five minutes later, Misko scored again on a penalty stroke, giving Bucknell the lead once again.

With 13 minutes left to play, senior Leigh Hillman scored from outside the circle, giving Bucknell a 4-2 lead. Hillman’s goal tied Raider junior Eliana Brown for the title of top-scorer in the Patriot League this season.

Misko scored Bucknell’s fifth goal late in the game, dribbling around DiDomizio and hitting the open net to complete her hat trick. With less than a minute remaining in the game, junior Maggie Murphy added a goal to her two assists, scoring the last goal for the Bison on a penalty corner, and ending the game with a score of 6-2.

Bucknell held an advantage over Colgate in both shots and penalty corners, which ultimately gave the Bison a win despite the

Raiders’ lead after the first half. In their contest against Brown in the previous week, Colgate also lost despite holding a lead after one half.

“The team got together on Sunday to talk about how we can improve our game play in the second half. It’s been a barrier for us this season and we’re hoping to break it as we continue our Patriot League play. Our game plan is to stay mentally focused and play to win rather than simply maintaining. We need to match our opponents’ change of intensity in the second half and continue to play offensively,” Biggar said.

This week, the field hockey team prepares to play Siena College on Wednesday in Loudonville, N.Y., followed by a home contest against American University on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Contact Jack Murrayat [email protected].