Amid a two-game losing streak, the Binghamton men’s soccer team rallied back to earn a 1-1 tie against Colgate on Friday night. The visitors scored first in the second half, however, BU tied the game at one-all less than a minute later. Despite playing with 10 men for the final six minutes of the match due to a red card, the Bearcats held on for the draw.

“We have to be kind of pleased that we got a draw out of the game,” said Binghamton head coach Paul Marco. “To lose a guy and have to hang on while short numbered [is hard], but I felt there in the game, we probably should get a result [and]we should probably get three points out of the game.”

Binghamton (2-2-1) despite not creating any significant offensive threats early in the match, was able to slow down play and dominate the possession game against Colgate (2-2-1). In the 17th minute, graduate student midfielder Tom Cohen got off the first shot of the match, but it went over the net. Both teams then traded shots, but neither one made its way into the back of the net as the match remained scoreless.

“Overall good performance,” Marco said. “The guys were very competitive [and] showed good poise. The game plan was good — we just needed a little better execution, and then the silliness to concede the goal the way that we did is just silliness. We have to stop the silliness.”

The Raiders struggled to maintain possession throughout the first half, but they found success with counterattacks on the wing, with one in the 23rd minute leading to an opportunity in the box, but graduate student goalkeeper Dylan McDermott’s quick reflexes netted him his first save of the night. The Bearcats quickly went on the offensive, netting three straight shots in the next four minutes of play, including a shot on goal by Cohen. BU outshot Colgate 5-2 in the first period, as they went into the half tied at 0-0.

“I thought we were good,” Marco said. “I thought we were good in all aspects of defending. I felt like Colgate’s a good team — I mean they go to Virginia and get a result — that’s very good. I thought that the two outside backs were really tested today … Maybe ball-side defending today needed to be a bit better.”

Colgate was quick to get out of the gate in the second half, getting off a shot on goal in the 52nd minute, but quick reflexes from McDermott yet again kept the game scoreless. BU nearly opened the scoring as a shot from junior forward Lucas Constante nearly found the back of the net, his shot just narrowly going left. The tides began to shift in the Raiders’ favor, and they went on a 3-1 shooting run by the 68th minute, and once again McDermott and the back four kept them out of the net.

“I’m trying to read his touch,” McDermott said. “If I could come out or not. He took a good touch, there was no pressure on the ball. All I could do was set, make myself as big as possible, and try to make a save, and luckily he didn’t place it well and I was able to make a save and keep it zero-zero that time.”

The Raiders broke through in the 74th minute, as BU trailed 1-0. The Bearcats, however, were quick to respond, tying the match at one-all thanks to a strike from Cohen. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Gaven Egan lobbed a through ball from behind the centerline, which Cohen controlled, he cut into the box and rallied off a shot that bounced off the leg of a Colgate defender, lighting up the scoreboard for Binghamton. After back-and-forth possessions by the opposing teams, Egan was given a red card for a defensive foul, and the Bearcats were down to 10 men for the remainder of play. The Bearcats managed to hold on until the final whistle blew, drawing against Colgate 1-1.

“Obviously, it’s a great feeling to score,” Cohen said. “Unfortunately it didn’t help to win the game, very unfortunate we knew that Colgate would come here and try to compete and give us some hard time, but I believe and think that we were on top of the game from the first half. Unfortunately, we ended up with the tie.”

Binghamton will face off against Lafayette College on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Gummeson Grounds in Easton, Pennsylvania.