I believe that with disappointment always comes perseverance in the end. Coming off a disappointing season in which they only managed to muster three wins was hardly a milestone that the Binghamton University women’s soccer team wanted to remember. However, seeing the team’s early games this season, it was apparent that the Bearcats did remember. They intended on shattering that memory. Through the first part of the season, Binghamton came out of most of their games with its guns blazing, and other times the team just barely managed, but they always showed grit and determination. This is a different team than I remember seeing last season when I first covered it. The Bearcats have fire, heart, moxie — whatever you want to call it. They are playing as a real team.

Things have changed of late. The Bearcats dropped three straight games as of Thursday morning, including their America East opener against New Hampshire. However, several players have come into the individual spotlight, earning praise, recognition and even awards. Sophomore Dani Raske emerged from an injury that prevented her from playing in her freshman season, to become a star in only one game. Raske’s hat trick against Iona was the first in Binghamton’s Division I history. She is now among the conference leaders in goals, shots and points. In addition, sophomore backfielder Stefani Knopick continues to play tough and tight defense in addition to scoring her first two collegiate goals last Sunday against New Hampshire. Junior midfielder Amanda Casares continues to play a fast-paced brand of soccer and doesn’t seem to have an “off” switch.

So how does all of this translate to how the team will fare in the America East?

OK, so the team dropped their AE opener to New Hampshire, a team that was 1-8-1 coming into the match. Definitely not a great way to start the season. However, the Bearcats showed great fortitude, battling back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the score before the Wildcats scored to go up 3-2 to put the game away for good. This is a recurring theme in the Bearcats’ games. Even if they fall behind, the game is never over. And in my opinion, you can never count out a team that can strike back, even when it is down by several goals. It is for that reason that I think that Binghamton will be a real force to be reckoned with in the America East this season.

Though the AE is a very competitive conference, there are several teams for the Bearcats to really watch out for.

The University of Maine boasts a very tough defensive unit, lead by goaltender Jasmine Phillips, who is near the top of most goaltending categories, including GAA, and shutouts. Junior back Anjelica Hodgson has started every game since she became a Black Bear, a streak of 46 games.

Despite a 2-10 record, Albany is capable of scoring a ton of points, and will be a real test for the Bearcats at home on Oct. 19. As a team, they lead the conference in shots (162), and are fifth in goals (10). Freshman Rebecca Lee and junior Ashley Tirabassi are currently tied for fourth place in the conference in points with nine.

And presently, though the AE conference schedule is only a couple of games old, one can already see the battle lines being drawn. Any Binghamton soccer fan will tell you to always look forward to a game against Boston University. The team lost a pair of 2-0 games to the Terriers last season, including the semifinal game in the America East Tournament. Sophomore goalkeeper Janie Reilly leads the conference in goals against average (0.64), though Binghamton’s Jen McEachron is currently fourth in the category (1.07), which leads me to believe that next Thursday’s home game against Boston should be a classic.

Let’s remember however, this is not 2007 folks — the Bearcats are a different team this season, and once they get going, it’s unlikely they’ll ever want to stop.