With its back against the wall, the Binghamton University women’s soccer team kept its playoff hopes intact Thursday night with a 3-0 win over the University of Vermont at the Bearcats Sports Complex.
In six of the last seven seasons, Binghamton has advanced to the America East tournament. But after its 2-1 loss at University of New Hampshire on Sunday, Thursday’s game became a must-win if the Bearcats (2-4-1, 5-9-1) hoped to taste postseason action.
Binghamton entered the game in seventh place in the America East, while Vermont (3-4-1, 5-9-4) stood in fourth. With just two games left to play, the Bearcats headed into Thursday night knowing they needed two more wins in order to keep their season alive.
With 26:54 left to play in the first half, junior forward Candice Rowland put the Bearcats on the board first with a goal assisted by senior midfielders Mary DeWitte and Taylor Kucharski.
“I saw Mary [DeWitte] and knew she was going to beat her girl so I sprinted as fast as I could to get in front of the goal,” Rowland said. “She crossed it to me and I one-timed it into the right corner.”
From there, the Bearcats would tack on another goal with 8:27 left in the first half. Junior forward Sarah Furminger took the ball down to the left side of the net, drawing the goalie’s attention, and then crossed it to sophomore forward Conor O’Brien.
The Bearcats had scored just two total goals over their previous five games. On Thursday, it took them just 36 minutes to reach that total.
“It was a great feeling,” Rowland said about the quick start. “Usually we’re fighting back or a goal down so it was a great feeling and it took a lot of pressure off for the rest of the game.”
Binghamton kept Vermont in check during the second half and sealed the game with a goal by freshman midfielder Emily Nuss with 3:54 to play.
“It’s good to see our players get the results that they’ve been working for,” BU head coach Sarah McClellan said. “We’ve been outshooting our opponents but haven’t gotten [our shots] in the back of the net and that can mess with your mentality a little bit. Today I think we kind of shrugged it off.”
McClellan attributed the team’s success on Thursday to its cohesion on both offense and defense.
“I think by having a dangerous attack we didn’t allow Vermont to get into a rhythm,” she said. “I also think that the team did a great job defensively and getting behind them and really shutting down their options. Vermont didn’t really get any quality looks and that’s a credit to the whole team.”
With so much on the line, the Bearcats were aggressive right out of the gates. But McClellan said the importance of the game didn’t really factor into her team’s approach.
“We really didn’t talk about the gravity of the game because it’s a game just like any other game and you have to come out and try to put the best performance out there,” McClellan said. “You have to believe in the process and get the result and that’s what happened today.”
On Sunday, the Bearcats will battle UMBC in a game with plenty of storylines. Not only is Binghamton’s season on the line, but Sunday is also Senior Day.
“We’ll be ready to play,” McClellan said. “It’s our Senior Day, so that really take precedence over the game. Our team loves our seniors and they’ve done a lot for our program. We want to honor them by putting a great show out there on the field.”
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Bearcats Sports Complex.