They’re not worried about putting the ball in the net anymore. All they’re asking for now is for someone to step up and stop some.
The Binghamton women’s soccer team had its season cut short last year when it fell to Maine in the conference semifinals after battling to a 0-0 tie, eventually losing on penalty kicks. Scoreless games were far too common for the defensive-minded Bearcats last year, who shut out the opposition nine times but were disappointingly blanked seven times themselves.
With ace scorers senior Danielle White and junior Kim Povill returning up front, and all-conference selections senior Kelly Burnham and junior Tricia Reed anchoring the midfield, don’t expect BU to get shut out often this year.
“I think we’ll be a lot better in the attack this year,” said head coach Jeff Leightman. “Defensively though, it’s still a mystery.”
The Bearcats posted the fourth highest save percentage in the nation last season (87.6%), but keeping up that defensive intensity might be a little more difficult this year.
Gone are all-conference center back Meghan Taylor and wing back Vicky Vernicek, anchors for one of the best back lines in the conference. Returning however is stingy senior goaltender Kristie Bowers, an all-conference honorable mention in 2005 who, despite not starting every game, delivered all of the team’s nine shutouts.
“Obviously we are going to look to Bowers to have a great senior season,” Leightman said. “Losing two out of three starting backs is difficult, though. That’s the cycle of college soccer; every year you lose key kids, but every year you get new players to step up.”
Returning to the backfield is junior Katie Kerrigan, who started 19 games on the right side last season, and junior Erica Eddy, who will take over the crucial sweeper spot. Eddy is an excellent ball handler, and has emerged as a vocal leader of the team. Freshman Nicole Montoya, a three-time all-league selection in high school, will round out the new defense.
Returning to lineup alongside the all-conference duo of Burnham and Reed at midfield is junior Kerry O’Shaughnessy. New to the starting midfield are freshmen Amanda Casares, a four-time All-New Jersey selection in high school, and Katie Eaton, a local product.
Leightman will employ a 3-5-2 formation, one that places a premium on all five midfielders and both forwards being highly in sync with each other –– the aim being to catch defenses off balance. Having a bunch of deadly scorers up front will definitely help this scheme to be effective.
“We’ll be balanced and very tough to play against,” Leightman said.
The Bearcats will be tested, though. They have a grueling non-conference schedule this year, one that so far has them in a 0-3-1 hole. They fought to a tie against Georgetown before falling to powerhouses Navy, Pittsburgh and No. 18 West Virginia.
“We had a decent result [against Georgetown], but then we lost our legs and our concentration,” Leightman said.
The schedule does not get much easier, as they go to visit a tough Long Island team and follow that up by hosting Canisius, a squadron that easily beat the Bearcats last year.
“Our first five games are against top teams in this region,” Leightman said. “We scheduled it that way because we want to test ourselves.”
BU was picked third in the preseason conference rankings, behind Boston University and Maine, which is exactly where they wound up in the final standings last season.
“It’s tough to pick against those two on top,” Leightman said. “We’ve established ourselves in this conference; obviously we’d like to be number one but we have to prove ourselves again.”
The conference schedule really picks up in October, when the Bearcats play host to both defending conference champion Boston and to Maine, who broke the hearts of the Binghamton faithful, sending the Bearcats home early 10 months ago in the playoffs.
“It’s hard to think about those conference games now,” Leightman said. “We’re still trying to find an identity; October and November seem so far away. The last thing on our mind is penalty kicks against Maine.”