Former All-American back Graham Munro reported to Baltimore Blast training camp last week, but after Saturday, Binghamton soccer fans might not miss him for too long. In one of the most anticipated games of the fall season, another Scottish defender picked up where Munro left off, propelling Binghamton (7-6-1, 5-1-0 AE) to a 1-0 win over defending America East champion Stony Brook (5-11-0, 2-4-0 AE) on a windy day at West Gym Field.

With 10 minutes remaining in regulation, junior forward Matt Narode earned three consecutive corner kicks in an aggressive push to break the scoreless tie. The third try was a charm. In a scramble in front of the goal following the third corner kick, sophomore back Liam Carson netted his first collegiate goal for the Bearcats.

“I sort of shinned it in; it was a shocking goal, but I’ll take it,” said Carson, who hails from Scotland by way of Division II Virginia Intermont College.

Carson’s goal was the result of hard work on the defensive end throughout the game.

“I thought Liam Carson did very well,” said head coach Paul Marco. “I’m so excited for him; he gets his first college goal for the Bearcats, and he did a great job today in the back as well.”

Perhaps no defender had a better game than freshman goalkeeper Jason Stenta, who made five saves in his fifth shutout since earning the starting role.

Ironically, neither Stenta nor Carson was on the active roster last year when Stony Brook defeated Binghamton in penalty kicks for the America East championship. That loss provided some fuel to the Bearcats’ fire on Saturday, and the rivalry proved to be bitter. Four players, three of them Seawolves, received yellow cards in the heated match.

The unexpectedly strong wind helped Binghamton as well, as Stony Brook tried to play balls wide to the sidelines but had trouble finding their players in front of the goal on crosses. The Bearcats, for their part, condensed the midfield in an attempt to hinder the Seawolves’ superior passing abilities.

“To push their forwards, [Stony Brook] moved to a 3-4-3 formation with three front-runners, and that expanded the space,” Marco said. “Because they were able to keep the ball a little bit, we tried to keep it compact, but the game kept on opening up.”

The Bearcats had a tough first half in which they struggled to create and finish shots. Midway through the half, America East Player of the Week Peter Sgueglia missed an opportunity from a few yards out, and shortly thereafter was pulled from the game until the second half.

“He just wasn’t having a great first half,” Marco explained. “They had his number in the first half. To Pete’s credit, I thought he did a much better job in the second half when we brought him on. Joey Neilson was doing a very good job up front, so when we finished the game with the two of them, it was quite good.”

After Sgueglia was pulled, Binghamton began to dominate Stony Brook, taking seven shots to the Seawolves’ two the rest of the way.

The Bearcats’ home-unbeaten streak now stands at 10 games, and the win clinched a top-four spot in the America East tournament. Binghamton shares second place in the conference standings with Albany. The Bearcats need a win and a tie to win the regular season title and earn the first seed, but that will be difficult — the final opponents on their schedule are Albany and No. 1 Vermont.

Marco, who from the start of the season believed the team could win the title, is not deterred.

“In the beginning of the season, we talked about trying to secure first place in the regular season and win the championship,” Marco said. “We’re going for the double. That hasn’t changed; we haven’t steered away from that. We’ve stayed consistent in who we are and what we want to do and the guys are getting better.”

Binghamton heads to Albany for a 3:30 p.m. match tomorrow. The winner will take sole possession of first place in the America East.