On Senior Day, the women's soccer team fought to a 1-1 tie Saturday against the Bucknell University Bison.
In a game that would decide the top spot in the Patriot League, both teams had numerous scoring chances, but neither could capitalize due to strong defenses on both sides of the field.
The Bison scored first in the 15th minute. Sophomore Lauren Stoller made a beautiful cross that found the head of senior Krista Lee Gentile. The ball sneaked in the left goal post to give the Bison an early 1-0 lead.
The Eagles controlled play for the rest of the half. Their best scoring chance occurred during the 31st minute when senior Siobhan Gillan shot the ball 40 feet toward the net. Bison goalie Kathryn Sutton leaped toward the ball and punched it out of the net.
The up-tempo game continued into the second half, but this time, it was the Eagles that found the net. Following a cleared AU corner kick, sophomore Kelly McLaughlin found sophomore Kelsey Brasher. Despite being in heavy traffic, Brasher bent a shot into the upper right-hand corner of the goal, tying the score in the 59th minute.
While Brasher's goal was the last of the scoring for the day, both teams had many opportunities to increase the score. Bucknell's best chance to get a go-ahead goal occurred in the 85th minute of play when Jennifer Dervaric's shot hit the crossbar before the Eagle defense could clear the ball. The Eagles had a great chance of their own in the final minute of play when they had a free kick in Bison territory and two corner kicks but failed to convert.
In overtime, both defenses remained strong for the entire extra 20 minutes, and the game ended tied at 1. In all, the Eagles fired 20 shots with thirteen on net, while Bucknell had 14 shots with nine on net.
With the tie, Bucknell improved to 5-1-1 with 16 points and 10-7-1 overall, clinching first place in the Patriot League and giving them the right to host the Patriot League Championship Tournament. Meanwhile, the Eagles finished undefeated in the Patriot League at 4-0-3 with 15 points and 10-5-3 overall, securing the second seed in the Patriot League tournament.
The Eagles play Friday in Lewiston, Penn., in the semifinals of the Patriot League tournament. They will face the winner of Monday's Army/Navy match.
