They say that home is where the heart is. For the Bearcats of women’s soccer, one can only hope it is also where the offense is. After a rough stint away from Vestal, the Bearcats (0-5-1) gear up to face the Syracuse Orange (2-2-2) tonight at 7 p.m. in their home opener.

The Bearcats offense, led by senior forward Danielle White and midfielder Tricia Reed, will look to give sophomore keeper Erin Iman some well-deserved support on offense. Iman has recorded 33 saves over her first six games between the pipes for the Bearcats. Iman and the rest of the team hope to finally record that much-elusive first win against a Syracuse team which has also had its struggles on offense of late. The Orange have been shut out over their last two contests, against Eastern Carolina and Boston College, both of which resulted in a 0-0 tie.

Jumping out to an early lead will prove to be the difference maker in this match-up, as the Orange are 2-0 when they score first, but also 0-2 when they find themselves trailing entering the second half of play. In order for the Bearcats to slip one past sophomore ‘Cuse keeper Eliza Bennett-Hattan, they will have to make their way through the formidable defensive combination of juniors Sarah VanSickle, a former Big East Defensive Player of the Week, and Karrah Benson, a recipient of ESPN/CoSIDA’s Academic All-District I second team honors. This trio played a large part in last year’s Syracuse team, which logged six shutouts and held its opponents to one goal or less 10 times.

The Bearcats have not lost to the Orange since 2003. Last season, Syracuse came to Binghamton’s West Gym Field and the Bearcats worked them to a 1-1 tie on a goal by then junior Kim Povill. In 2005 the Bearcats shocked the Orange in Syracuse, when White netted the game’s only goal with 15 seconds remaining in regulation. In 2003, White then a freshman, scored the game’s only goal as Syracuse rolled to a 7-1 victory in the first game of the season.

Tonight’s game is the start of a three-game home stand for the Bearcats. Come out and show your Bearcat pride tonight at 7 p.m.