The focus of the Bearcats Sports Complex was on the senior women’s soccer players on Sunday evening.
However, it was an underclassman who provided the offensive spark as Binghamton University defeated Albany 1-0 in an overtime thriller that kept the Bearcats’ postseason hopes alive.
The Bearcats (6-7-1, 2-4 AE) had been on a three-game skid, having not won a game since the beginning of the month, and needed a win in the game to keep their hopes of earning an America East tournament berth alive. And though Albany (3-15, 1-5 AE) came into the game with a sub-par record, the Bearcats could not afford to take the Great Danes lightly.
The Danes came into the game among the conference leaders in the America East in shots and saves, and were the conference leader in fouls. The extremely physical nature of the match certainly reflected the hard-nosed brand of soccer that both teams are known to play.
Junior forward Ashley Tirabassi led Albany with six goals and 15 points. Freshman midfielder Rebecca Lee ranked second on the team with three goals and nine points. Tirabassi finished the game with three shots, including two shots on goal. Lee added three shots of her own.
Before the game, the team paid tribute to the three seniors on the squad with a ceremony to thank them for their dedicated service to the team throughout their tenures at the school. Midfielder Kim Thomas and forwards Charlotte Foster and Kelly Haslinger were the players honored during the ceremony.
The game remained in a 0-0 tie through regulation time, and the teams took the field for the overtime period.
At 3:02 into the period, sophomore midfielder Casey Pedersen corralled a loose ball, and drilled a 30-yard shot into the top of the Albany net past Albany goalkeeper Amber Maisonet. The tally was Pedersen’s second of the season and increased her point total for the season to six. Pedersen, along with Foster led the Bearcats with three shots apiece.
“It was a great win for us, especially to honor the seniors with a memorable win,” said Binghamton head coach Sarah McClellan.
Maisonet recorded three saves in the game in defending 12 Bearcats shots. Binghamton netminder Jen McEachron notched five saves on 11 Albany shots. McEachron also recorded her fifth shutout of the season, and thrilled the crowd on several occasions by making incredible saves.
Two of McEachron’s more stellar saves took place when she first punched the ball out of the box and then made another huge save less than a minute later. Her GAA now stands at 1.25 for the season, which is among the leaders in the conference.
“Jen did a fantastic job in goal for us,” McClellan said. “She had complete control of her area and made some world-class saves.”
Next up for the Bearcats is an away game at Stony Brook this Thursday. The Sea Wolves (8-7, 4-2 AE) are currently ranked fourth in the conference, while Binghamton is ranked sixth. The top six teams in the conference will advance to the America East playoffs, which begin on Oct. 30.
Stony Brook’s offense is led by freshman midfielder Colleen McKenna and senior forward Trine Allenberg. McKenna leads the team with five goals and 11 points, and was named America East Rookie of the Week on Monday, the second time this season that she has received the honor. Allenberg has tallied four goals and has 10 points. Junior goaltender Marisa Viola boasts a 1.40 GAA, and has made 94 saves on the season, including a season-high 14 in Stony Brook’s 2-0 loss to Boston University on Sunday.
“Stony Brook is a solid team; we look forward to playing them — it’s always an exciting matchup,” McCellan said.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at LaValle Stadium.