Plagued by possession problems and trouble in the face-off circle, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team came up short on Sunday afternoon, falling to UMBC in double overtime, 11-10.
The Bearcats (4-10, 0-3 America East) won just six of 18 total draw controls in the game. Six of the Retrievers’ 11 goals were scored after UMBC won draw controls and found the back of the net before BU even possessed the ball. Binghamton currently ranks last among AE opponents in draw controls per game with 7.93, while UMBC (8-6, 2-2 AE) is second with 11.5 per game.
“Obviously we go out there and try to win every draw control that we compete in, but the ball just didn’t bounce our way,” said BU head coach Stephanie Allen. “They were just a little quicker than us out there on the draw today and it’s a stat that came back to bite us in the end.”
UMBC clinched the victory 30 seconds into the second overtime period when Retrievers junior attack Sam Nolan fired a shot past Binghamton senior goalie Erin McNulty. The Bearcats never held possession in either of the two overtime periods, in which McNulty recorded two saves.
“I thought our defense did outstanding out there in the first overtime period,” Allen said. “Our defense gave us a big three-minute stop to give us another shot at it.”
The Retrievers came out strong from the start, winning the first draw control and keeping possession until they scored just 50 seconds into the first half. After allowing another goal to UMBC, Binghamton went on a 5-1 run, giving itself a two-goal lead with 12:42 to play in the first. Heading into the locker room, BU led, 7-6.
After allowing UMBC to take a 10-8 second-half lead, the Bearcats fought back. BU battled the match within one score of tying with just under nine minutes to play, and with 10 seconds remaining, freshman defender Kaia Gallop was fouled, allowing a free shot. Gallop scored her first collegiate goal to force overtime, giving the Bearcats an ultimately unsuccessful opportunity to mark a tally in the win column for the first time in five games.
“I’m a defender, so I usually don’t get on the offensive end,” Gallop said. “I knew that the goalie wasn’t all that great at getting the high ones and her backside was open so I shot it.”
In the second half, UMBC won seven of eight draw controls, leaving the Bearcats with little opportunity for possession and affording them only six shots on goal.
Junior midfielder Callon Williams led the Bearcats in scoring with three goals and one assist. She was followed by freshman midfielders Rebecca Golderman and Olivia Batista, who tallied two goals each.
Five BU seniors, McNulty, Sophia Racciatti, Allie Rodgers, Marissa Rose and Alex Szelewski were honored in pregame Senior Day festivities, marking the penultimate regular-season home game for the graduating players.
Despite six straight losses, Binghamton will look to continue to improve prior to its next matchup against sixth-ranked Stony Brook.
“We want to take care of the little things,” Allen said. “We’ve had a really good two weeks in practice and I think our play and our performance in games has shown that. We won’t let up on those because they’re going to come into play.”
The Bearcats are set to return to action on Wednesday against sixth-ranked Stony Brook. First draw control is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.