The Binghamton University women’s soccer team played a pair of hard-fought home games over the break, dropping a tight 1-0 match to University of Hartford on Thursday before posting a scoreless tie against Stony Brook University on Sunday.
The Bearcats (4-6-1, 1-1-1 America East) got off to a shaky start in Thursday’s match against Hartford (9-0-2, 2-0 AE), allowing a goal from Hawks forward Caitlin Alves 19 minutes into the game.
“We were a little bit flustered in the beginning, respecting them a bit too much because they are an undefeated team,” BU head coach Sarah McClellan said.
Prior to the goal, each team had recorded two shots, though none produced goals. But Hartford finally found an opportunity; Mary Beth Hamilton crossed the ball to Alves, who shot it into the lower left corner of the goal. Following the goal, the Beacats were forced to regroup. In the remaining time in the first half, Binghamton took three more shots, each of which went wide on net.
In the second half, the Bearcats came back to play harder than before. The team had nine shots, six of which were on goal, while Hartford had only three shots on goal, all of which were saved by BU sophomore goalie Carrie Martin.
“The back line did a great job in the second half to shut them out,” McClellan said.
The closest Binghamton came to scoring was off a shot by freshman Connie Gormley. From 50 yards out, Gormley fired the ball past the line of players between her and the goal, but Hartford keeper Erin Quinlan dove to make an impressive save.
Senior forward AnnMarie Rizzi also tallied three shots, two of which were a little over 30 seconds apart. One shot was saved by Quinlan, while the other sailed high and over the goal. The Bearcats played with strength until the end, sending a barrage of shots on goal while allowing only three Hartford shots.
On Sunday, the Bearcats hosted Stony Brook (3-8-1, 1-1-1 AE). Each team entered the match having won and lost one game in-conference and both parted from the game with the same standing, adding a tie to their records. In double overtime, neither team was able to break the barrier and score a goal as the teams settled for a 0-0 draw.
In the opening minutes of the game, the Bearcats came out energized as junior forward Sarah Furminger took a shot that hit the crossbar, and off her shot sophomore Kaitlyn Cook fired a shot on goal that was saved by Seawolves keeper Chelsea Morales.
In the second half, the Bearcats got plenty of chances, but none led to a goal. Two scoreless overtime periods led to a scoreless tie, despite Binghamton finishing the match with 17 shots against Stony Brook’s seven.
“We were a little unsatisfied with the results,” McClellan said. “We wanted more out of it, but … it was a good game for us.”
Despite the lack of the offense, McClellan said she was “pleased with the effort [the] team put out.”
“We controlled the play and may not have come out with the win, but it is encouraging that we are playing so well against teams that are high in the conference,” she said.
When asked how she felt about her team’s performance in America East play to this point, McClellan said that she felt her team was “on an improving trend and starting to peak in an important time in the conference [schedule].”
The Bearcats are set to travel to take on University at Albany on the road on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.