For 26 straight games dating back to 2014, the Binghamton women’s soccer team failed to score more than two goals in a game.
The lack of offensive production plagued the Bearcats (4-2-2) for over two seasons, resulting in a series of frustrating losses and limiting their chances to advance in the America East (AE) playoffs. BU did its best to put this habit to bed on Sunday, netting three goals against Temple with an attack that provided a stark contrast to the Bearcats squads of recent years.
Binghamton’s 3-1 victory over the Owls at home came on the heels of a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Lehigh on Friday night.
In Sunday’s home win, BU got off to a quick start, commanding the ball and flowing well on offense. Binghamton struck first in the 18th minute, when senior forward Leighann Bennett put one in the back of the net thanks to an assist from freshman back Sam O’Malley. The tally set the tempo for the Bearcats, who used it as a catalyst for more aggressive play up front, leading them to a 15-6 shot advantage on the day.
In the 36th minute, the Bearcats temporarily lost control, allowing two shots in a span of three minutes. The second — a volley from Temple redshirt junior forward Kayla Cunningham off of a cross from the left side — found the back of the net to knot the score at one.
The second half, though, was all Bearcats. In the 55th minute, Bennett made two consecutive moves to beat the defender before sending a cross to redshirt sophomore forward Jocelyn Acor. Acor created space and netted one in the upper 90 to give BU the lead once again. Binghamton refused to look back after this goal, and added to its lead when senior defender Allison Mack headed in a corner kick from redshirt junior forward Michele Galvin to record the first goal of her collegiate career.
Five freshmen saw playing time in Sunday’s win, with four rookies making the starting lineup. At the beginning of the season, head coach Neel Bhattacharjee was unsure of what impact the large group of first-year players would make.
“This freshman class has been able to come in and make strong contributions this season, which can be a good thing, but also a tough thing for upperclassmen to accept,” Bhattacharjee said. “But starting in preseason, the older players saw how hungry these younger players were, and welcomed them in, realizing that they are all equal parts of this team, something that has helped us in our performances this season.”
Despite a great display of teamwork and effort during Sunday’s game, Bhattacharjee believes the Bearcats have plenty of room for improvement, particularly after their loss to Lehigh (5-0-1). The Mountain Hawks scored twice in the second half and kept Binghamton off the scoreboard. Binghamton struggled offensively and trailed in shots, 13-3. Despite giving up two goals, junior goalkeeper Katie Hatziyianis made 11 saves, her highest tally of the season.
“We need to display more confidence,” Bhattacharjee said. “Last Friday wasn’t one of our better matches, and one thing that we really talked about is that this was a bounce-back game, which meant we needed to prove that we are tough, resilient, which we did today. This is our home turf, it’s our area that we need to protect it. Hopefully this win will snowball for us and give us momentum going into Thursday’s game.”
The Bearcats are set to return home against Bryant on Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.