The wind blew briskly around Patterson Field, enough to make a packed crowd shiver. But for 7 hours, the hundreds in attendance seemed unfazed by the fearsome elements, instead celebrating an action-packed day in Ursinus sports.
The Bears earned three pivotal conference wins on their field on Saturday, as the football, women’s soccer, and men’s soccer teams all took home key victories. With the victories, they all have cemented themselves in the race for postseason opportunities, surpassing all expectations entering the season.
Football Flourishes Against Rivals
The day began with a rivalry game, as Ursinus had faced a key obstacle in their pursuit of a conference title: the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays.
Hopkins has dominated the Bears in recent years, on the way to multiple conference titles. The last time Ursinus had beaten them was 2017, almost a decade ago. It was something that became a focus all week, according to quarterback Tristan Machado.
“All week we were saying, ‘2017’, we haven’t beaten them in 10 years,” Machado said. “It definitely put a chip on our shoulders.”
The Bears certainly played like they had something to prove. The team dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and thus dominated the game. The offense was able to string together long, back-breaking drives, sparked by Jason Bernard and the run game creating short fields on early downs. The Bears led time of possession at the half by a good margin, with multiple drives spanning over five minutes.
The second half allowed Ursinus to showcase their strength on the other side of the football: a dominant defensive line. The Johns Hopkins offense was slowed on crucial third downs by an explosive pass rush, which won at the line of scrimmage multiple times late in the game. Quarterback Tristan Machado made some big plays through the air, and the Bears secured a crucial conference win late.
The win brings Ursinus to 3-0 in the Centennial Conference, tying Carnegie Mellon for first place. Coach Pete Gallagher stressed that the win was important, but the Bears still have work to do, as they chase their second ever conference title.
“We have a strong will, but I still think the best is out there,” he said. “I still think we can play better than we did today, and that’s what we’re going to go look for.”
Women’s Soccer Stuns Divisional Foe
Coming into homecoming, the past two matches between Ursinus and Gettysburg women’s soccer had been nothing short of battles.
The Bears and the Bullets had tied for two straight seasons, with matches between the teams in 2024 and 2025 both ending in a score of 2-2. It was obvious that both teams would have this one circled on the calendar, looking to finally get the upper hand.
It was Ursinus, though, that came through in a big way Saturday, earning a pivotal 2-0 win. Fiona Sanders ‘29 led the way, knocking in two goals in four minutes to race past the Centennial foes.
The Bears were outclassed early in the game, as the Bullets garnered six shots on goal to their two. However, while Gettysburg generated more shots on goal, Ursinus was able to create better opportunities. They drew contact near the goal to garner three corner kick opportunities, compared to the Bullets’ one.
That aggressiveness paid off with Sanders’ efforts in the second half. On both goals, Ursinus used their short passing to set up touches in the teeth of Gettysburg’s defense, only for Sanders to knock in assists from Abby Godown ‘29 and Alexis Whaley ‘30.
The win was a crucial one for the Bears due to where they sit in the Centennial Conference playoff standings. It allows them to jump over the Bullets into fifth place in the conference, at 4-3-1.
Coach Jeannine Calhoun stressed after a win against Bryn Mawr earlier in the week that securing wins in these games would be crucial, as they seek their first playoff appearance since 2015, but their focus remained the same.
“Anytime we get three points in a conference game it’s a huge deal,” she said. “But it changes nothing about how we move forward, it’s something we’ve been working on.”
Ursinus Men’s Soccer Steals A Homecoming Win
Football wasn’t the only team to pull off a historic upset, as they basked in the spirit of Homecoming.
Coming into this weekend, the Gettysburg men’s soccer team had won eleven straight matchups against the Bears. Some, like last year and 2023 were tight losses, by just a goal. Others were less competitive, like tough losses in 2022 and 2024.
On Saturday, though, the team made it clear they were looking to make a statement. Nicholas Grippa ‘29 knocked in a goal in the 12th minute, with Joseph Kmetz ‘30 following it up in the 19th. The goals continued a theme for Ursinus early this season — a large portion of their goals have come early in the first half, prioritizing a strong start.
It was Ursinus’s strong defense that saved the day in the second half. The Bullets piled up 13 shot opportunities in the second half, but the Bears were able to hold the team to one second half goal. Goalkeeper Josiah Moore ‘28 came up huge, making nine saves to lead the way.
The win places the Bears fourth in the Centennial standings, as they seek their first ever postseason berth. With four games left in the season, they’ll have a chance to make program history.
