Binghamton’s women’s lacrosse team was in Connecticut this weekend, locked in a nail-biting battle. Looking to start the year with a win, the Bearcats found themselves tied at nine late in the game. The Pioneers of Sacred Heart University had other things in mind as they took control and nailed the game winner with 3:02 to play, handing the Bearcats a heartbreaking loss.

The Bearcats wasted no time at the start of the game, netting three goals after just three minutes had passed to grab a 3-0 lead. Danielle Edwards netted the first score with an assist by Liz Wright. Edwards scored again 21 seconds later and was followed by Leanne Musso, who added another tally 35 seconds later to complete the three-goal spurt in 1:04.

Sacred Heart overcame the slow start and controlled the rest of the first half. The Pioneers finished off the half with six unanswered goals and went into the locker room holding a 6-3 lead.

‘It was a very, very tight contest,’ said third-year head coach Emily Edmonston. ‘We played a great second half to overcome that deficit. I thought our demeanor was strong, both when we were ahead and when we trailed ‘ which is a very good sign.’

The Bearcats put on a show in the second half, netting five goals to Sacred Heart’s one en route to an 8-7 lead. Senior Heather Grose tallied a pair of goals during the surge while Edwards added one more to the stat sheet.

There seemed to be no end to the drama as the teams exchanged goals to tie the game at nine. But the Bearcats could not hold off the Pioneers, who tallied the winning goal with 3:02 to play.

‘It was an unfortunate end result, but I thought we played pretty well overall,’ said Edmonston.

Her optimism and the team’s demeanor will be critical on March 6 when the Bearcats visit the Carrier Dome to play Syracuse University, currently ranked 15th in the nation.