It’s back to business on Thursday for the BU men’s lacrosse team.

Coming off a 9-8 win over the then-No. 6 ranked Albany Great Danes, the highest-ranked opponent the Bearcats have ever defeated, Binghamton (4-8, 3-2 AE) now prepares to take on No. 13 UMBC in the America East tournament semifinals Thursday at 4 p.m. BU now sits two wins away from a conference championship, and a subsequent berth in the NCAA tournament.

The second seed in the AE, UMBC (4-1, 9-4), beat Binghamton in double overtime on April 14, 11-10. The game, played in Maryland, featured a last-second shot in regulation by the Bearcats to tie it, only to see a buzzer beater from the Retrievers beat them in the second OT.

‘Certainly we couldn’t ask for a better matchup. We definitely had our opportunities [on April 14] to win that game, we’re definitely excited to have a second crack at them,’ said BU head coach Ed Stephenson.

UMBC led conference play in average goals per game with 13.60, while Binghamton was third at 10.60. UMBC features the third, fourth and fifth top scorers in the conference in Cayle Ratcliffe, Andy Gallagher and Drew Westervelt, respectively. The Bearcats’ Rob Williams, who scored three goals in the victory over Albany, and Steve Carlson are tied for seventh in the AE and are the Bearcats’ leading scorers.

Binghamton presents a better defense, allowing almost two goals fewer per game than the Retrievers.

UMBC comes in as the higher seed, but there is no clear advantage for either side with this game being played on a neutral field in Albany.