After losing two straight contests, first to Canisius and then to Bucknell, the Bearcats (2-4) now sit near the bottom of the conference standings; however, the scores say nothing about just how nail-biting the matches were.
Binghamton began the week with a home contest against Canisius (4-4). Falling behind early, the Bearcats needed to battle back and were able to do so, cutting the lead to 4-3 with about 13 minutes to go in the first half. However, the Griffins scored three straight goals and took a 7-4 lead into the locker room.
The Bearcats came out fiercely in the second half and knotted the score at 7-7, with three consecutive goals of their own, including one on a free position shot by freshman Emily Thon. Thon would score another goal later in the contest.
Canisius then tacked on three more goals, making the score 10-7. A late surge by the Bearcats fell just short, and they were defeated 12-11.
Canisius was led by senior Chelsea Martinez, who scored four goals. Senior Ashley Ray added three more goals for the Griffins.
Sophomore Beth Moore and Thon were the leading goal scorers for the Bearcats, with two apiece. Sophomore Kate Tesi led all Bearcats scorers with three points.
Things did not get any easier for the Bearcats, as they took on Bucknell in Lewisburg on Wednesday. The Bison (6-2) dominated the play early, building a 3-0 lead. Binghamton answered back, cutting the deficit to 3-2 on goals by sophomore Ali Castiglie and Moore. After another Bucknell score, the Bearcats tied the game up on goals by Thon and Moore.
The Bison countered that flurry with a pair of goals by sophomore Julia Braun, which made the score 7-5. At this point, Castiglie rattled off two consecutive goals to even the score at seven.
With five seconds remaining in the game, Bucknell’s Becca Devine made her only shot of the day count, as she scored on a free position attempt to seal an 8-7 win for the Bison. Castiglie’s three goals led all scorers, and her three points tied her with Moore and Bucknell’s Bonnie Buechel, who had a goal and two assists.
Moore is currently ranked third in the conference in goals per game with 3.00. Her three points per game also ranks her in the top ten in the conference.
Meanwhile, Binghamton goalkeeper Lauren Scott leads the conference in save percentage with a mark of .544. The sophomore is second in the conference in saves per game with 11.20 per game.
The Bearcats have had three heartbreakers in their four losses this season, the first one against St. Bonneventure on March 10.
The Bearcats’ next test will be tomorrow when they take on America East rival Vermont at the Bearcats Sports Complex. The Catamounts (4-3) are led by freshman Samantha Stern, a New Jersey native who was named America East Rookie of the Week on Monday. A Vermont player has now won the honor in each of the past three weeks, with freshman Allison Pfohl taking the honor in each of the previous two weeks. Pfohl is the team’s leading goal scorer with 19. The Catamounts have one of the most high-powered offenses in the conference, averaging 13.29 points per game, good enough for second in the conference.
The game is set to begin at noon tomorrow.