Pouring rain, bitter cold and a dash of snow — the weather seemed to speak for the Bearcats’ outcome. The Binghamton University men’s soccer team ended its regular season on a low note as it lost a match to Hartwick College 2-1 on Tuesday.
“I thought it was one of those non-conference matches well in the year that didn’t have a lot of spirit,” Marco said. “You could say that it could have gotten us prepared for the conference championships, but at this point in the season, its relevance is not in perspective.”
Hartwick’s winning point came late in the first half as it took advantage of a Binghamton own-goal. It was not clear who netted the ball because of the density of players by the penalty box. Nevertheless, Marco was not too disappointed, saying that own-goals are part of the game.
“Those things happen,” Marco said. “They created the right opportunity. There have been times in our favor where teams kicked the ball into their own goal. The strategy is to put the balls into dangerous areas.”
The Hawks had control of the match 20 minutes into the first half when sophomore midfielder Patrick Thompson pelted a pass from teammate freshman Konrad Andersson. The winning goal came 16 minutes later when a Bearcats defenseman netted the ball off of Hawks freshman Simon Greatwich.
“The first half got off to a slow start,” Marco said. “The team did alright, but we came out much stronger in the second.”
The Bearcats notched their lone goal eight minutes into the second half when junior defender Kyle Manscuk converted a header off junior back Yusuf Yusuf.
However, even as the Bearcats stepped up, Hartwick went even further, bringing its six shots from the first half to 19 in the second half. Comparatively, the Bearcats finished the match with just seven shots.
All in all, Marco believes his squad has had a successful and enjoyable non-conference season.
“Our guys had every intention of every situation to go out and play the game,” Marco said. “We did some good things. Our non-conference schedule was as competitive as it has been in a long time. From Gonzaga to UC Davis, in playing these teams we gave it our best. My hats go off to the players because they really want to be here and they show commitment.”
Marco also stated how he is proud of the performance of his men.
“Certainly there are disappointing results,” Marco said. “But, I can’t really say that I have had a disappointing day.”
Now Marco and his team’s focus is all on the conference match against UMBC.
“I think we are going to be in shape,” he said. “Instead of playing [on Tuesday], I gave some of the guys a day off to recuperate.”
Sophomore Ryan Walter, junior Scott Zobre and freshmen Greg Mathers and Matthew Robertson did not play against Hartwick.
The Bearcats are scheduled to play the America East quarterfinal at home as they duke it out with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers on Saturday at the Bearcats Sports Complex at 7 p.m.