The last stand of senior goalie Larry Kline was a heroic one that included 13 saves and scoring a first period goal. But the Bearcats were still dealt one of the most heartbreaking losses in the program’s history, a defeat that was eerily familiar in circumstance.
“It was like deja vu,” Kline said. “Same kid, same play, different side of the net. It’s heartbreaking.”
The Binghamton men’s lacrosse team fell to the top-seeded Maryland-Baltimore County in the America East semifinal on Wednesday night in double overtime, 9-8, after a goal by UMBC attack Ryan Smith 55 seconds into the second overtime. It marks the fourth consecutive year that Retrievers have ended the Bearcats’ season in the semifinal game. Last year, the Bearcats took the match into overtime, and it was Smith who netted the game-winner 53 seconds into the extra period.
UMBC, ranked No. 11 in the nation, opened up the game with two goals before Kline found the back of the opposing net for the first time in his Binghamton career.
“Larry stepped up and got us the first goal,” said Bearcats head coach Ed Stephenson. “He cleared the ball and then the red sea parted a little bit, so he kept on running and never stopped. When he got inside our offensive box, he looked around, made a fake and took the shot.”
“I wasn’t even planning on going that far,” Kline said of the goal. “[The defense] didn’t cover me on the sideline clear and they were so spread out that they couldn’t collapse quickly enough to cover me with the [midfielders].”
After Kline’s goal and a tally by junior attack Andy Cook in the second period, Binghamton found itself staring at a 6-2 deficit early in the third period.
“We weathered the storm early,” Stephenson said. “I told the guys before the game that the seniors were ready to play, and that we would hop on their backs and they would show us the way. Sure enough, they did.”
Senior attack Chris Mulheron and junior midfielder Steven Carlson each scored in a four-minute span to cut the lead to 6-4 midway through the third period. Senior midfielder Kevin Joy assisted both of those goals. UMBC took a 7-4 lead with just over three minutes left in the period, and senior midfielder Duncan Streeten scored just two minutes later to make the score 7-5.
Sophomore attack Frank Donlon scored at the nine-minute mark of the fourth period to bring the Bearcats within one. Nearly seven minutes of scoreless lacrosse ensued before Cook turned up the heat. Cook scored with just over two minutes left in regulation. UMBC scored again 30 seconds later to go up 8-7.
With 53 seconds left, Binghamton had possession in its offensive zone, looking for the goal that would keep their season alive. The answer was on Cook’s stick. Cook became the first Bearcats player to record a hat trick in the America East tournament and the goal sent the game into overtime.
UMBC recorded two shots and the Bearcats recorded one in the first overtime period, but none found the back of the net. UMBC’s first shot of the second overtime was saved by Kline.
“I made the initial save a couple minutes before, but I couldn’t contain the rebound,” Kline said. “Their coach called a timeout. [Smith] came around quick; he beat our initial guy, then beat our slide guy. He’s a great player and I think he was even surprised that he found himself in the middle of the net with no one contesting his shot.”
“We had stepped up on a couple of other runs and stopped them,” Stephenson said. “They finally broke through.”
Mulheron finished with a goal and two assists, while Donlon tallied a goal and an assist. Kline’s 13 saves were three shy of his career high and was the most he has ever compiled against UMBC.
“I can’t say enough about Kline,” Stephenson said. “He made 13 saves against some very powerful shooters.”
The Bearcats were outshot, 46-25, and won just eight of 22 faceoffs, including losing a crucial faceoff in each overtime period.
The loss meant the end of the line for the nine Binghamton seniors on the team, including Kline, Joy, Mulheron, Streeten, attack Jake Boyce, defender John Dreska, midfielder Jonny Baron, defender Chris Winter and faceoff man J.P. Wioncek.
UMBC (11-3) will go on to face Stony Brook (9-5), which defeated Albany (7-7) by a score of 18-12, on Wednesday. The winner will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship.
The Bearcats finish the 2009 season with a 3-12 overall record, including a 2-4 record against conference opponents.