Redshirt senior attacker Tom Moore scored his second goal five minutes into the second half to restore the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team’s two-goal cushion. That lead did not last long, though, as Marist scored five straight goals and ultimately took the game, 11-8.
“[In] the second half as a whole I think we just turned it over a lot,” said BU head coach Kevin McKeown. “With those turnovers came a lot of defensive possessions.”
The game got off to an odd start as the Bearcats (1-1) scored the opening two goals before storms in the area delayed play for almost an hour. Once it resumed, the two teams traded back-and-forth goals until the third quarter when Marist (3-1) took control.
Binghamton looked overmatched offensively in the third, when the Red Foxes dominated possession and outshot the Bearcats, 10-4. Marist was extremely efficient in the quarter as well, converting seven of their eight shots on goal.
“We didn’t do a great job of defending their dodges from behind,” McKeown said. “With a lot of the possessions they had they were able to capitalize.”
For BU, it was a tale of two halves. They scored five of their eight goals in the first half. With a one-goal edge late in the second quarter, senior attacker Matt Kaser scored a dramatic last-second goal to send the Bearcats into the half ahead, 5-3.
Kaser’s goal provided BU with some much-needed momentum going into the second half. Despite beginning the third quarter with the ball and a man-up opportunity, the Bearcats failed to capitalize, mustering just nine shots in the final 30 minutes of play.
“It would’ve been nice to get the first goal of the third quarter and keep that momentum going,” McKeown said.
One bright spot on a stormy afternoon was Moore’s performance. He continued his stellar play and led the Bearcats with three goals and one assist. He leads the team with seven goals this year.
“Tom [Moore] is an experienced player,” McKeown said. “Being in his fifth year of playing college lacrosse, he has a good sense of the game. He’s a highly skilled player, so when he does get those opportunities he does a good job of canning them.”
Senior goalkeeper Tanner Cosens was busy in between the pipes for BU, recording seven saves on 18 shots on goal.
One area in which BU saw improvement from its first game was the performance at the faceoff. After only winning seven of 23 draws a week ago, the Bearcats won 11 of 20 against Marist.
After his first loss at the helm of the Bearcats, McKeown hopes his team will come ready to play next week against another tough opponent.
“We’re going to try to be more consistent in practice and in our practice habits … hopefully that will help us out come Saturday against Hobart,” McKeown said.
The Bearcats are set to close out their three-game home stand against Hobart on Saturday. Faceoff is set for noon from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.