The parity is enough to make even Paul Tagliabue jealous.

Not even the NFL, America’s portrait of parity, can compete with women’s soccer in the America East this season. For this conference it has been all too true that on any given Sunday (or Thursday), any team can and will win. With the Binghamton women’s soccer team on the brink of another playoff berth in such a close league, what can fans expect?

One thing not to expect is a home playoff match. While the top six teams in the conference make the tournament and the top two receive byes, the No. 1 ranked team will host the entire tournament. This year, it looks like that team will once again be the Boston Terriers. The Terriers are in first place with 19 points, and only the second place Hartford Hawks are within striking distance.

While the rest of the conference has beaten each other up, Boston has been the only sure thing in the conference, the only blemish on its record being a tie with the Vermont Catamounts.

“Everyone in this conference is really good, but I think you can kind of put Boston on a pedestal,” said Binghamton head coach Jeff Leightman.

Assuming Boston wins the conference, there is no telling what will happen with the rest of the seeds. Hartford is undefeated and in second place, but before last night’s 2-0 victory, the Hawks had only won convincingly against conference doormats UMBC and Albany.

Hartford and Boston will square off with the conference title on the line on the final game of the season this Sunday, and despite Hartford’s home-field advantage, nationally ranked Boston has to be the heavy favorite. The No. 2 seed is huge, however, since when you consider that first round bye and the parity in this league, any edge is helpful.

“The first round bye is enormous,” Leightman said. “It makes such a big difference — last year I think it was a huge factor. It adds a little extra motivation to finishing in the top two.”

The other playoff bound teams will play first round games at the No. 1 seed, taking any possible advantage from finishing third or fourth out of the equation.

“There is a drawback, since for the 3 through 6 seeds, it doesn’t really matter what seed you are. All that changes is what jersey you wear,” Leightman said.

In a year when anything can happen in the America East, having the first round games played on a neutral ground makes for an even more interesting tournament. With every team so close, seedings can change thanks to a bad bounce or a lucky goal. By having no distinction between seeds, it takes a step to eliminate the luck factor. No team can advance to the tournament on a lucky home goal.

“There’s not that big of a gap between No. 1 and No. 8 in our league, and that is a scary thing to look at,” Leightman said. “This year, one fatal mistake can undo your whole season, and that is a bitter pill to swallow.”

Keeping the tournament at the No. 1 seed rewards a team that has played above and beyond the competition, while ensuring that the best possible team meets the No. 1 team in the finals. Leightman also added that having the entire tournament played at one location gives the playoffs more of a tournament atmosphere and makes it a better experience for all of those involved.