Through hard work and determination, the Binghamton University women’s soccer team continued to show everyone that they mean business this season in a pair of games over the weekend.
The Bearcats (2-1) narrowly dropped an overtime showdown 1-0 against Long Island University on Friday night, before turning things around with a 2-0 win over New Jersey Institute of Technology on Sunday evening. Both the talented new recruits and the team veterans were at the heart of the games for the Bearcats.
The Blackbirds (2-0) came in having defeated Stony Brook University 1-0 earlier in the week, on the strength of Northeast Conference Player of the Week, sophomore Caitlin Meadows (Brookdale, Calif.), who scored the lone goal in that game. Senior netminder Amy Johnson (Maryland Heights, Mo.) also earned NEC women’s soccer honors, being named Defensive Player of the Week.
The Bearcats held Meadows without a shot, and played very well in front of goalie Jen McEachron, who made six saves in the game for Binghamton. Johnson made one save for the Blackbirds and combined with sophomore Christine DeLashmutt to record the shutout.
The game remained in a 0-0 tie until Blackbirds freshman Ariana Calderon scored the game-winning goal at 2:13 into the first overtime. Calderon scored the unassisted goal from 23 yards out, putting the ball just out of the reach of McEachron.
With that loss still fresh in their minds, the Bearcats traveled to Newark to play NJIT, a team that they defeated 3-1 in the 2007 season. The Highlanders (0-3) looked to score early, but Binghamton’s defensive front, led by sophomore Stefani Knopick and freshman Taylor Kucharski, had other ideas, stifling the NJIT attack, and limiting them to only three shots in the game.
“The play of our backline has been critical,” said Bearcat head coach Sarah McClellan. “Staying tight is always tough, but we feel that it is a realistic goal.”
Meanwhile, the Bearcat offense wasted no time in getting to work, as freshman AnnMarie Rizzi (Cornwall, N.Y.) buried the ball into the Highlander net just under four minutes into the game. Kucharski, as well as junior Amanda Casares, notched assists on the goal.
Kucharski and Casares share the team lead in assists with two, while Rizzi now holds the team lead in goals, which is also two.
Binghamton held the 1-0 lead until the 74th minute when Charlotte Foster took a feed from fellow senior Kim Thomas and lifted a shot over NJIT goalie Sadie Mele to put the Bearcats up 2-0.
Mele finished the night with seven saves, while McEachron made two to record the shutout.
“It wasn’t the prettiest game of soccer,” said McClellan. “In the end, we got the job done.”
Next up, the Bearcats travel to Worchester, Mass. to play Holy Cross this coming Sunday. The Crusaders (0-2) are coming off of a 4-2 loss to St. Francis on Friday. They are led by goaltender Jessica Stone, who has 10 saves on the season. On offense, sophomore Lauren Wright shares the team lead in both goals and points. Wright was the Crusaders leader in both categories last season as well, scoring 11 points, including five goals.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.