It may have taken a little longer than expected, but the Binghamton University men’s soccer team has finally guaranteed itself a spot in the conference tournament.
With a 1-1 tie at Hartford (5-8-3, 2-3-2 AE) Saturday night, the Bearcats (10-4-3, 3-2-2 AE) clinched their third straight America East playoff berth.
“It’s definitely disheartening to have two conference games slip through our fingers because we could already be in the playoffs with a definite home game or two,” said sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Bertoni. “But it was a huge sigh of relief at Hartford.”
Hartford jumped out to a 1-0 lead 13 minutes in when senior back Graham Munro was called for a hand ball, leading to a penalty kick goal scored by the Hawks’ Costa Kyritsis. According to senior midfielder Danilo, the ball unintentionally touched Munro’s hand as he went up for a header. If a player uses his hands without intent, and the ball doesn’t change direction, the official can let play continue.
“There’s no way it should have been called,” Bertoni said. “I didn’t even think Dowser (Munro) skimmed it with his hand.”
The official saw the play differently though, putting the Bearcats down one until midway through the second half. Junior forward Joey Neilson evened the game with 22 minutes left in regulation when he took a feed in the box from sophomore back Adam Chavez.
Even though the Bearcats earned a playoff berth with the tie, a victory might have improved their final seeding.
“It’s frustrating not to win, especially when you’re dominating the game like that, but it wasn’t a huge disappointment,” said senior back Darius Ravangard. “We were happy because we played very well collectively as a team.”
Bertoni had to make just one save during the contest, and Hartford was unable to produce a corner kick opportunity.
The Bearcats will conclude the 2005 regular season tomorrow, as they host the Boston Terriers (6-7-3, 2-2-3 AE) at 1 p.m.
Binghamton would earn the No. 3 seed with a win, but would surrender a first round home playoff game with a loss. The Bearcats would finish in fourth place with a tie.
Also, a Boston loss could cost the defending conference champs a playoff berth, if Hartford and Albany win their season finales.
“Home field is a big incentive to win the game, and I’d love to beat Boston and knock them out of contention,” Ravangard said.
Senior Day:
Graduating players Graham Munro, Danilo, Darius Ravangard, Ryan Pierce, Joe Howe, Luc Vallone and Phil Grommet will be honored for their contributions to the men’s soccer team during pregame introductions.
Danilo will miss the regular season finale after receiving his fifth yellow card at Hartford.