The Binghamton women’s lacrosse team was tied at nine with UNH with just over nine minutes left when the matchup was paused due to inclement weather. When play resumed, the Bearcats came out of the delay hot, scoring four unanswered goals. As the clock dwindled down, the Wildcats were only able to add one goal to their tally, and BU won the game 13-10.
“We worked on some offensive looks we wanted to execute [during the weather break], but it was really about getting warm and staying loose and going out there with the mindset that we can do anything and that we’re the better team,” said Binghamton head coach Stephanie Allen.
Senior attack Paige Volkmann continued her standout season by netting four goals and contributing three assists for BU (3-3, 3-3 America East). She now has 21 goals on the season, placing her in first in the AE in points per game and second in goals per game. Two of Volkmann’s goals against UNH (3-5, 2-4 AE) came after the break and were within 14 seconds of each other.
“I think [Volkmann] just really understood the game plan today,” Allen said. “She did a good job of both handling the pressure of their defense but also taking quality shots … She’s really dialed into the team performing well and has been a director for us out there the entire year.”
While Volkmann has been a key player since the beginning of the season, freshman midfielder Jesse Barer had her breakout game, contributing a hat-trick to BU’s win. All of her four shots were on goal and just one was saved by UNH’s junior goalkeeper Issy Torres.
“As a freshman, [Barer is] continuing to grow each week and ask questions and find ways to make an impact out there,” Allen said. “She was critical at the end of the game there for us in winning possessions off of the draw and getting extra opportunities on the offensive end … I’m just really proud of what she’s been doing out there and the confidence that’s growing in her.”
Going into the second half of the game, the Bearcats were down by two and were outshot 15-9 by UNH, but the team quickly found its rhythm. Both Binghamton and UNH had 14 shots each in the second half, but 13 of the Bearcats’ shots were on goal as compared to the Wildcats’ nine. Allen credited the defense with keeping the team in the game.
“It took us a little bit longer to get into a rhythm, but our defense was making stops today which really gave us extra opportunities when we needed it the most,” Allen said.
The team had a total of 11 free-position shots, capitalizing off of four of them, while the Wildcats had just four and capitalized off of one. With the win, BU is now in fifth place in the AE conference, and Allen hopes to garner another victory over the weekend.
“We’ve worked a lot on the mental side of the game and stating our intentions, and our intentions as a team were to come out with a win today and keep our playoff hopes alive,” Allen said.
The Bearcats will continue their season this weekend against UMBC on Saturday, April 24. Faceoff is set for noon at UMBC Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland.