The men’s soccer team continued America East play with a 4-1 loss at Bryant on Sunday night. After opening scoring early in the first half of play, BU allowed a three-goal run in less than two minutes, and an additional goal saw BU enter the half down 4-1. Despite their best efforts, the Bearcats could not break through in the second period.

“At the end of the match, I didn’t feel great,” said Binghamton head coach Paul Marco. “To start the match I thought we were quite good. We were good for the first 20-25 minutes.”

The match started quietly, with neither team attempting a shot for the first six minutes. Binghamton (8-6-2, 2-3 AE) was the first to break through when sophomore forward/midfielder Marcus Nahim rattled off a shot in the seventh minute of play. Bryant (8-4-3, 3-2 AE) swiftly responded attempting two consecutive shots, both of which were blocked. Soon after, in the 11th minute of play, Nahim lobbed a throw-in directly to the Bulldogs keeper, who was unable to get his gloves on the ball, as senior back Carlo Cavalar took possession and played it into redshirt sophomore midfielder Gaven Egan, who drilled it in from inside the box for a BU lead.

“I thought that we had a pretty good game plan going in,” Marco said. “The starting positions of the players were very very good. As the game went on we got a little tired. We didn’t pick up second balls, we weren’t covering the ground like we were the first 25 minutes, and then that little span, we didn’t respond well.”

In minute 26, disaster struck for the Bearcats when Bryant scored the game-tying goal. Keeping their feet on the pedal, the Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead on another defensive miscue just a minute later. Bryant’s relentless attack did not give up, however, taking a 3-1 lead just over a minute later. Continuing the offensive pressure, Bryant attempted four unanswered shots throughout the remainder of the first half before the fifth attempt eventually broke through in the 42nd minute, and they took a commanding 4-1 lead to go into the half.

“I think for a couple of the mistakes, we just had a moment of lapse,” Marco said. “Our concentration lapsed a little bit and they were quick to pounce on the ball and they shot the ball when we weren’t ready. They attacked as when we weren’t close enough together, and there were multiple mistakes on all three goals.”

After being outshot 17-4 in the first half of play BU looked to close the gap in the second period, as sophomore midfielder Alex Balkey and junior forward Lucas Constante rattled off a shot in minute 54, however, both chances were also blocked. After traded possessions between the foes, Constante tried another shot, but it went into the Bulldogs keeper’s gloves as the match remained scoreless in the second.

“I thought the team regrouped at halftime,” Marco said. “We tried to get something back in the game early. We got a couple of good chances at their goal early in the second half, and our guys in front of goal have to do better. We hit the ball right at their goalkeeper several times.”

Soon after in the 66th minute, Bryant nearly made it a four-goal lead when an attempted shot bounced off the Bearcats’ crossbar. The Bulldogs embarked on a few more offensive runs, rattling off three more consecutive shot attempts, ultimately to no avail. Constante and graduate student midfielder Tom Cohen each got off a shot on goal, neither of which was able to cut the lead. In the final minutes of play, each squad attempted two more shots, respectively, and the 4-1 deficit remained as the final whistle blew.

“I think [the squad has started to prepare for UAlbany],” Marco said. “I’ve seen in the team chat that they’ve already started dialing in, so we’ll see. It’s a long week — we have to prepare for Albany. They’ll be ready for the match as well.”

The Bearcats look to bounce back as they take on UAlbany for their Senior Day match on Friday, Nov. 1. Kickoff is set for 6:07 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.