After its America East (AE) championship hopes were dashed in the final minutes of the championship game, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team will look to finish what they started in its 2024 campaign.

On the back of an 11-6 season that saw the squad go a school record-setting 5-1 in AE play, the Bearcats clinched the second seed in the AE playoffs. Once there, the team waged war with No. 3 Vermont, going back-and-forth with the Catamounts in the semifinal matchup. With their season on the line, the Bearcats came back from a three-goal deficit late in the contest and escaped with a 12-10 victory to advance the AE title game.

In its first ever AE championship appearance, Binghamton faced tournament hosts UAlbany. Yet again, the game would go down to the wire, with both teams trading the lead and keeping things even throughout the match. However, the Bearcats were unable to answer the Great Danes’ final goal with three minutes of play left, dropping the match 14-13 as they finished the season as AE runner-ups.

With the best season in program history behind her and an AE coach of the year award under her belt, Binghamton head coach Stephanie Allen returns for year 12. She will lead a squad featuring several key returning pieces, including the duo of juniors midfielder Abigail Carroll and attack Olivia Muscolino, who contributed 54 and 53 points, respectively, to last year’s campaign. BU was projected to finish third by the AE preseason coaches’ poll.

Binghamton will open its 2024 slate at home against Drexel on Saturday, Feb. 10. Face-off is set for 1 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.