The Binghamton University women’s lacrosse team finds itself in a three-game losing slump after dropping two more games over the holiday recess, both of which came against conference opponents. The Bearcats dropped a tight 9-8 contest at University of Maryland, Baltimore County on April 17 and lost 14-7 at the Bearcats Sports Complex on Saturday to University at Albany, ranked No. 7 in the nation by Inside Lacrosse.
The Bearcats (3-12, 1-4 America East) have yet to find their second conference win, something they have yet to do in any season since joining the America East Conference. Even though the Bearcats have been struggling, head coach Tony Zostant feels like his team has been playing rather well.
“Two of our last three losses have only been by one goal,” Zostant said of his team’s recent performance. “Our shooting has improved, but we really need to work on our transitions. All in all, though, I feel like we’ve been playing pretty good.”
The Bearcats were trailing at halftime of their game at UMBC Stadium by only one goal, but couldn’t keep the Retrievers (10-5, 4-1 AE) from answering every goal that the Bearcats were able to put up.
Binghamton tied the game twice in the second half, but the Retrievers matched every goal with one of their own, and the two teams finished scoring four goals each in the second half to finish out the game.
The standouts of the game were UMBC senior Erika Braerman and Binghamton senior goalie Lauren Scott, both of whom were given America East Player of the Game honors. Scott had a strong game for the Bearcats, recording 14 saves of 23 shots. She has been a standout for the Bearcats all season, keeping them close in many of the games they have played.
The second recent contest for the Bearcats was decidedly more one-sided. The Bearcats seized an early two-goal lead against the Great Danes (14-0, 5-0 AE). However, Albany quickly turned the tables on Binghamton, scoring seven straight goals and never releasing the lead for the remainder of the game.
The quick start by the Bearcats, which resulted in them holding the lead early in the game, has been a trend thus far in the season for Binghamton. The Bearcats have had trouble playing at a consistently high level throughout the entirety of their games, and Zostant believes the reason is because of poor draw control.
“We scored our first two goals against Albany after winning two consecutive draws, but then we lost the next 10,” Zostant said. “We were never able to possess the ball and when you win draws you’re able to do that. We’ve had to play long periods of defense and when you have to do that it makes it hard to transition to offense.”
Seniors Beth Moore and Ali Castiglie stood out for the Bearcats against Albany, as each netted two goals. Moore — who was named America East Player of the Game alongside Great Dane National Player of the Year hopeful Taylor Frink — scored two quick free position goals in the second half to bring the Bearcats within three, but that was the closest they would come.
Free position goals, along with those that are unassisted, have been the majority of the Bearcat offense throughout the season. However, Zostant believes that this isn’t the result of a lack of communication or an absence of offensive fluidity.
“We are definitely scoring goals but we just haven’t been scoring enough of them,” Zostant said. “Once again, our big issue is draw controls. We just don’t get the ball enough off of those draw controls, which has been something of an Achilles heel for us for four years.”
The Bearcats are set to close out the regular season with two games this weekend, one of them being an important contest against a conference opponent. On Saturday, the Bearcats are scheduled to take on Columbia University and then take on AE foe University of New Hampshire on Sunday, playing both games at home.
“Playing two games back-to-back is a challenge by itself, but I believe that we can overcome it,” Zostant said. “In order to succeed we need to stay focused, which is something that I think the team has done well.”
Face-off is set for 1 p.m. against Columbia on Saturday. On Sunday, the Bearcats are set to take on New Hampshire with face-off set for noon.