One week after an emphatic 21-10 victory against UMBC, the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team fell to Bryant 17-11 on senior day. After BU took an early 3-2 lead, Bryant went on a three-goal run to end the first. Bryant was able to maintain this lead for the rest of the game, handing the Bearcats their second loss of America East (AE) conference play.

“Hats off to Bryant for a well-played game,” wrote Binghamton head coach Kevin McKeown. “I thought they competed hard and did very well with their transition opportunities.”

Bryant (8-4, 4-2 AE) took an early lead, getting on the scoreboard first with a goal at the 13:57 mark. Less than 90 seconds later, Binghamton (6-6, 4-2 AE) got on the board as well when freshman midfielder Jack Mellen found twine. Both teams continued exchanging goals as the Bulldogs struck back to retake the lead at 2-1. The Bearcats responded quickly with consecutive goals from junior attack Matthew Keegan and senior attack Liam Ferris. However, Bryant closed out the quarter strong, finding the back of the net three more times to go into the second period with a 5-3 lead.

“I thought our ball movement was fantastic in the first quarter,” McKeown wrote. “We were dodging hard and had their defense moving. When they switched to zone it took the wind out of our sails and we didn’t adjust great.”

Bryant continued where it left off in the first quarter, opening the second quarter with a goal less than two minutes in. A minute and 40 seconds later, after a successful clear, junior attack Gage Adams put on between the pipes to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to two. After a few back-and-forth possessions between the teams Bryant grew their lead back to three with another goal. The Bearcats continued peppering the net, resulting in a goal, courtesy of senior attack Ethan Insinga. The Bulldogs closed out the second quarter with two more goals to take a 9-5 lead over BU going into the half.

“I thought in spurts our offense played really well,” McKeown wrote. “Our clearing game also was clicking.”

After a scoreless five minutes to open the second half, the Bulldogs got back on the board. Bryant then scored again with 5:50 left to play in the period to take an 11-5 lead over the Bearcats. Just 43 seconds later, BU found twine with a strike from Ferris, but Bryant continued its strong offensive performance, scoring two goals in the final minute and 16 seconds of play. BU trailed 13-6 entering the final quarter of play.

“One area we will look to improve on is our transition defense,” McKeown wrote. “We gave up way too many opportunities that resulted in goals for them.”

The fourth quarter opened with an offensive surge from the Bearcats, as Ferris and Keegan scored one and two goals to make it a 13-9 game with 11:29 to go. Bryant answered with two straight goals, and they quelled BU’s hopes of a comeback by holding them scoreless until the 3:52 mark when Mellen scored his second of the night. The game neared its end with Bryant and Binghamton trading goals, and Bryant secured the win with another goal in the final nine seconds of play to hand BU a 17-11 loss.

“We didn’t quite match [Bryant’s] level,” McKeown wrote. “Hopefully we will get a chance to see them again in the postseason.”

Ferris recorded his third consecutive and sixth hat trick this season while Keegan registered his second consecutive and fifth hat trick of the season in the loss.

“[UAlbany] is a team who always plays and competes well in the middle of the field [in transition, riding and clearing],” McKeown wrote. “So that will be a big point for us going into a big week of practice ”

BU will conclude its AE slate against UAlbany on Saturday, April 27, looking to stay in contention for a spot in the AE playoffs. First face-off is set for 7 p.m. at Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium in Albany, New York.