The Binghamton University women’s soccer team found itself in a difficult place in Thursday’s game: down 1-0 in the second half to a University of Vermont team that had won just one match all year. How did the team respond?
Well, let’s just say that the Bearcats left no doubt about which was the best team on the field.
Binghamton (8-6-1) used an 18-minute blitz of offense to take down Vermont 3-1 on Thursday night at the Bearcats Sports Complex for its eighth win in 11 games. The win gave the Bearcats a 5-2 America East record, and another win will give them a No. 2 seed and a first-round postseason bye.
After a scoreless first half, Vermont opened the scoring in the second half on a shot into the top-left corner of the net from 28 yards out, despite the Bearcats controlling the overall offensive tempo with an 18-2 shot advantage.
“When you’re playing against a team that you can see and feel on the field that you’re better than them, you have to take advantage of your chances,” said Bearcats head coach Sarah McClellan. “We didn’t finish in the first half; we talked about it, we came out a little flat [in the second half], and we let a goal in. But our response was three goals.”
According to McClellan, that response of the team was exactly what she was looking for.
“Professional teams respond that way to [being] a goal down, and that’s why our offense really lit a fire underneath,” she said. “We had a reality check in the first 10 minutes [of the second half]. We could have responded two ways: we could have let down and given the game away, or we could have stepped up and played the way we can. Our players chose to play the way we can. I couldn’t be more proud of the response of the entire team after that goal.”
The first goal was tallied when sophomore midfielder Brittany Walsh scored on a penalty kick. A little over 10 minutes later, freshman forward Jamie Holliday netted her team-leading fourth goal of the year after splitting two Vermont defenders and blasting a 12-yard shot just under the crossbar. Just seven more minutes had elapsed when the Bearcats took a 3-1 lead on freshman back Meghan Campbell’s first collegiate goal, aided by classmate Candice Rowland’s first collegiate assist.
Binghamton finished the contest with a 24-5 edge in shots, as 14 different Bearcats tallied a shot in the match. Over the past two games, BU has outshot its opponents 50-9.
“Our players are taking more shots; we’re putting ourselves in better positions to shoot,” McClellan said. “Our forwards and our midfielders are more comfortable on the ball, and with that comfort they’re also feeling more confident in taking the responsibility to shoot and to score, and that’s what we’re gonna need. We’re gonna need more players to step up every game.”
The offense wasn’t the only thing working for the Bearcats; the team defense was also successful at keeping the Catamounts at bay.
“Defense played real sharp, mentally sharp [and] physically sharp,” McClellan said. “[The] communication was nice, and I couldn’t be more pleased with our defensive unit.”
Goalkeepers Jen McEachron and Erin Iman split the game in net once again to tally the win, making three saves between them. Sophomore midfielder Mary DeWitte was chosen as BU’s America East Player of the Game for her consistent efforts throughout the match, primarily on defense.
The Bearcats’ win guarantees them at least one home playoff game in the America East conference tournament. Boston University has clinched the top seed, but after Stony Brook University’s 4-0 loss to Maine on Thursday afternoon, Binghamton can clinch the No. 2 seed with a win on Sunday at the University of New Hampshire, which would give it a first-round bye. The Bearcats haven’t had higher than a No. 6 seed since 2006, when they finished No. 2.
“New Hampshire is always a really good battle,” McClellan said. “They have some nice players, a couple nice senior players that are dangerous. We have been traveling well on the road, we’ve been showing up and playing, but we’re gonna have to really bring our very best effort to New Hampshire if we want to get the result that we want.”
The Bearcats are 4-2 in their past six road matches. Last season, they fell to the Wildcats at home 3-2 in the regular season, then beat them 1-0 in the postseason at their home arena.
The regular season finale is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. at New Hampshire.