Binghamton University’s men’s soccer team made its home debut in stellar fashion last Friday, and, as always, it did not fail to please the 1,892 fans cheering in the stands. From the stunning 25-yard goal by Ryan Tomko to Ryan Walter’s scuffle with Bucknell’s Tommy McCabe, the game was action-packed.

There was only one other factor that made this game perfect: I’m talking about the Bearcat Hooligans. I don’t know what we would do without these guys! The left side of the stands was draped in a white blanket as they made their presence known under the bright lights of the Bearcats Sports Complex. Among other things, during the intermission a Hooligan entertained himself and the fans by crowd surfing.

From chanting raucous anthems to signaling Bucknell to start the bus by jingling their keys in the last minute of the game, the Hooligans took the game by storm. Not only did they entertain the crowd, they kept the Bearcats’ spirits alive.

At the end of the game the soccer team rushed over to the cheer squad and saluted them for their performance: a perfect finale for a spectacular game.

Unsurprisingly, Binghamton was not the only group to acknowledge their great presence. After Conor O’Brien netted the only Bison goal, he greeted the Hooligans with hands in the air and a smirk on his face. The crowd responded with “Scoreboooooaaaard!” signaling that the Bearcats were in the lead, 2-1.

Bucknell head coach Brendan Nash noted the Hooligans and their green and white pride.

“We think the Hooligans were awesome and as much as they give Binghamton energy, they give the opposing team energy, too,” he said. “I think Conor got caught up in the moment and eventually it backfired. They got the best of him in the last 10 minutes when they got a couple of chants off. I told Coach Marco it’s something that we would love to have.”

Nash called the Hooligans “a model for some of the teams in the area,” and wished that Bucknell could build up the scale of enthusiasm Binghamton has shown.

This game proved that no matter how hard the other team’s players try to ignore the Bearcat Hooligans, they just can’t help but turn their heads and have some sort feeling, whether it be frustration, elation or motivation.

The Hooligans do two things at every game they attend. They become the ultimate support for the Binghamton team and they amplify the pride of every Bearcat fan in the stand. They are the only ones I have seen in my three years here at this college that can leave you singing, “We are the Bearcat Boys!”