In the final match of a three-game road stretch, the Binghamton men’s soccer team defeated the Saint Peter’s Peacocks 3-1, extending its winning streak to three games. The Bearcats outshot the Peacocks 7-3 in the first, but they were unable to find the back of the net until improving shot selection in the second half, when a three-goal run locked down the win.

“I thought the guys were terrific,” said Binghamton head coach Paul Marco. “I thought we played really well in both periods of the game. When we had the ball we were quite forceful going forward. When they had it, we were pretty patient in choosing when to press and when not to press. I thought the guys were very, very good. They stuck to the game plan, and we scored three good goals in the second half.”

Binghamton (5-2-1) nearly opened the scoring in the third minute with a deep lob into the box, but it was snatched by the opposing keeper. Seconds later, a BU counterattack saw sophomore forward Anthony Randazzo possess the ball in the opponent’s box, but a late slide killed the possession. It was, however, Saint Peter’s (0-6-1) who got the first chance on goal when a counterattack in the seventh minute gave them a look at BU’s goal that they were unable to convert on.

“I got to rest guys, so we played two different lines up front,” Marco said. “Minimizing how much time guys were playing allowed them to put more work and energy in when they were playing.”

Binghamton’s first shot opportunity of the match came in the 18th minute when Randazzo tapped a long ball into the box toward the Peacocks’ keeper. The Bearcats’ combination of high-press offense and long balls from the back four began to pay off, as they went on the rattle of three more unanswered shots in the next eight minutes. The foes went on to trade shots for the rest of the period, but neither squad was able to break the deadlock, as the match went into the half tied at 0-0.

“It was a match that we thought we were going to have to change the way that we wanted to play, due to the surface and the conditions,” Marco said. “It’s a grass field, it’s a little longer grass, the ball doesn’t roll a lot of divots, and it’s a narrow field. So we did change the shape of the group, we were a little more direct in the first half.”

BU opened the second half eager to find the back of the Peacocks’ net, and they quickly opened the scoring in the 48th minute. Following a corner kick chance, they attempted several shots, and eventually, a header from graduate student back Chris Comber found its way in. The Bearcats’ success on set pieces continued in the second half, when redshirt sophomore midfielder Gaven Egan headed the ball following a deflected shot off of the Saint Peter’s keeper for his first collegiate goal, giving BU a comfortable 2-0 lead.

“We want to improve in small group combination play in the attacking half of the field,” Marco said. “We’d like to have a better awareness and understanding of our response and our response to things.”

The Bearcats back four continued to attack the ball stopping several attempted counterattacks. BU’s offensive persistence continued to pay off, as Randazzo lit up the scoreboard in the 65th minute for his team-leading third goal of the season. The Bearcats continued to attack the opponents’ goal with deep balls into the final third, but the Peacocks were able to hold them to three, and the game seemingly drew toward a close. Despite their strong performance as a defensive unit, with 16 seconds remaining in the match, BU conceded a penalty and the Peacocks were finally able to get one past graduate student goalkeeper Dylan McDermott.

“The third goal was very, very good soccer,” Marco said. “[Freshman forward DT Megliola] picks the ball up, there’s combination play between [Megliola] and junior forward Lucas Constante, and then [Constante] drives with the ball and plays a ball in behind for [Randazzo] to run onto and finish. [Randazzo] two weeks ago, would have tried to come back onto his right foot, and this time he just smashes it with his left.”

Binghamton will look to surpass its 2023-24 campaign win total against Central Connecticut State University on Saturday, Sept. 21. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.