The Binghamton University men’s soccer team’s bitter exit from the 2009 America East tournament came at the hands of a team it had defeated eight days earlier. This Saturday, the Bearcats seek to avenge their early departure by burning the University of New Hampshire eight days after defeating them.
The Bearcats (6-6-4, 3-2-2 America East) have drawn the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament and are set to take on the Wildcats (7-5-5, 2-3-2 AE) tomorrow night ‘ a team the Bearcats beat very recently, though not very handily. Despite a 15-3 Binghamton shot advantage, UNH pushed the Bearcats to double overtime before redshirt-freshman Tommy Klim scored to give Binghamton a win on Oct. 30.
The Bearcats are 6-3-2 all-time against New Hampshire, including a 1-0-1 record in the conference tournament against them. The winner of this match is set to face conference powerhouse Boston University, the No. 1 seed, on Wednesday.
Despite having defeated New Hampshire this season, head coach Paul Marco believes that UNH is extremely talented and will force the Bearcats to raise their level of play.
‘I think that the opportunities will present themselves, and when we create an opportunity, we have to make sure we take care of that chance,’ he said. ‘That’s something that the guys have realized that they have to take on their own shoulders and be better in front of the goal. [UNH is] a difficult team, they don’t concede many goals ‘ they’ve got the No. 1 goalkeeper in the conference.’
Last season, the Bearcats ended the year on an extremely sour note, falling to University of Maryland, Baltimore County in the first postseason match. Binghamton has participated in the tournament every year since 2003, but last year was the only time that the team lost its opening match.
Former Bearcat Liam Carson was red carded, forcing Binghamton to play man-down for 25 minutes. UMBC won 2-1, and the winning goal was scored during that critical man-down period.
‘The red card in the UMBC game changes that game,’ Marco said. ‘So we need to make sure we don’t give referees any opportunity to send a player off. I think we’ve learned that lesson.’
The Bearcats had beaten UMBC at home just eight days before dropping the playoff match ‘ and won 4-0 at that. Similarly, Binghamton’s victory over UNH also occurred eight days before the postseason match is set to take place.
However, the tournament provides a very different atmosphere for the players.
‘We definitely learned [last year] that playoffs are completely different,’ junior midfielder Ryan Walter said. ‘Everything is on the line. We’ve gotta take care of business, leave it all out on the field and get the result.’
Sophomore forward Jake Keegan also noted the fiercer nature of postseason play in the America East.
‘It’s very similar to conference play,’ he said. ‘Games are very tight, goals are at a premium, it’s really tough. But it’s about the one play that makes a difference.’
According to redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Chris Hayen, the team tries to keep doing what it has done up to this point to be successful.
‘It’s a very important game; from now on it’s either win or go home,’ Hayen said. ‘We’re still coming out and playing the same way we always do; you can’t put too much stress on a game or too much pressure.’
Walter echoed the same sentiment.
‘Keep things relaxed. You can’t be panicky and nervous. We’ve just gotta treat it like any other game; play well, play our game, be confident, go out there and win,’ he said.
Senior back Kyle Manscuk hinted that the Bearcats might still have some tricks up their collective sleeve for the Wildcats on Saturday.
‘We just gotta continue to work on the things that work for us. I know we’re gonna have a few different surprises for them, but we still gotta do what worked in the [regular season] game and hopefully we get the same result,’ he said.
As far as motivating his crew, Marco knows it all boils down to a simple conclusion.
‘All it really comes down to is this: if we win this game, we keep playing. If we lose this game, we’re done. It has to be where you use all that energy for your advantage instead of being anxious and stressful. When you’re playing well, good things happen,’ Marco said.
A handful of Bearcats earned All-Conference honors this week, as well. Manscuk made first-team All-Conference for the first time, Walter made second-team for the second year in a row and freshman midfielder Tommy Moon was named to the All-Rookie team. Walter and senior forward Scott Zobre also earned All-Academic Squad honors with a 3.62 and 3.58 GPA, respectively.
While Manscuk is the Bearcats’ defensive leader, he led the team with four goals despite only taking 13 shots, seventh-most on the team. Walter tallied two goals and five assists, while Moon accumulated a goal and an assist.
The Bearcats are also led statistically by sophomore forward Adam Whitehead, who leads the team with 10 points (three goals and four assists). Keegan has recorded three goals and assists, as well as the second-most shots on the team (39).
For the public, admission to the playoff game is $8 for adults and $5 for children age 14 and under. The America East Conference set ticket prices at $2 per student, but the first 500 undergraduates at the match will receive a free ticket thanks to the combined efforts of the athletic department and the Student Association. Marco is hoping for another packed house on Saturday night.
‘That’s why we’ve decided to take a little help,’ he said, referring to the free tickets. ‘Thankfully the Student Association has come in and said they would pick up the first 250 [tickets], so we said we’ve got the next 250, so hopefully we get a great crowd.’
Whitehead discussed how a bigger crowd can provide a strong boost of confidence for the players on the field.
‘The more people you play in front of, it feels a lot better,’ he said. ‘You’ve got more people behind you supporting you, you want to do good for them and for your team as well.’
‘Hopefully everybody comes out to what may be the last home game of the season,’ Walter said. ‘The Hooligans have been great.’
The Bearcats’ first postseason game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Bearcats Sports Complex.