Despite a gritty performance from redshirt sophomore attack Sean Gilroy and 14 saves by junior goalie Tanner Cosens, the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team fell to No. 8 Syracuse on Wednesday, 13-5.
The Bearcats (4-8, 2-2 America East), coming off of a tough loss against No. 7 Albany, knew that the road matchup against the Orange would not be an easy one.
“Syracuse is always good and this year is no different,” said BU head coach Scott Nelson. “We were excited heading into the game, but we knew what we were getting ourselves into playing the No. 8-ranked program in the country. We had to play our best game in order to compete.”
Binghamton started the game off flat as Syracuse (8-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) scored nine straight goals in the first half. With problems on both ends of the field contributing to BU’s struggles, Nelson emphasized that a lack of offense was the main reason Binghamton failed to compete with the Orange.
“Tanner had 14 saves and nine in the first half, so we really couldn’t ask for much more on his part,” Nelson said. “The defense let up a lot of easy penetrations and ground balls, but it was the offense that couldn’t get anything going. You can’t win if you don’t score, which we really needed to do against a powerhouse like Syracuse.”
After a rough first half, Binghamton came out in the third quarter with one goal in mind: to put the ball in the back of the net. After a long Binghamton possession, junior midfielder Matthew Kaser finally got BU on the board, as he scored off an assist from Gilroy, who then got his chance to shine, scoring with 3:39 left in the quarter. Sophomore midfielder Liam Reaume was credited with the assist.
Syracuse answered Binghamton’s two goals with three of its own before the Bearcats found their groove. Reaume recorded his second assist of the day after sophomore attack Thomas McAndrew found the back of the cage. Less than a minute later, senior midfielder and captain Zach Scaduto set up fellow senior midfielder Mitchell Rick for the score.
Gilroy capped off BU’s 3-0 scoring run with his second goal of the day, firmly establishing himself as a promising young player, one whom Nelson can hopefully look toward to lead his team in the future.
“This isn’t the first time Sean has stepped up, so we know exactly what to expect from him when he steps on the field,” Nelson said. “He always plays hard, does things the right way and tries to get his teammates involved as much as possible. That’s what we look for in guys who are trying to get this team to the next level.”
After scoring 10 goals in his last three games, Scaduto had a surprisingly quiet afternoon. Usually the backbone of the BU offense, he was held to just one assist on Wednesday.
“Zach can’t be expected to have a stellar game each time he steps on the field,” Nelson said. “Syracuse locked down on him tight, which made it hard for him to get anything going. That’s why we need more guys to step up like Sean did today.”
The Bearcats still have two games remaining in their season, both against AE opponents. They currently sit in fifth of the conference standings, one spot out of the AE championship tournament.
BU is scheduled to host No. 14 Stony Brook on Sunday. The conference rivals are set to face off at 1 p.m. from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.