Heading into the meat of its nonconference season, the Binghamton University men’s soccer team has not disappointed in an impressive start to the 2011 campaign. This past weekend, the Bearcats (2-1-0) headed to Morgantown, West Virginia for the WVU Nike Classic, in which Binghamton was able to split a pair of games. First narrowly losing to nationally ranked host West Virginia 2-1, the Bearcats were able to rally against Houston Baptist University for a late but dominating 4-1 victory. Yet either way, head coach Paul Marco couldn’t be any more proud of his team.

“We had a pretty good weekend. You couldn’t tell who the better team was, whether it was the home or away team, because we were playing extremely well in the first half [of the West Virginia game],” Marco said. “I was very pleased with our guys and the way that they started the game mentally as well as physically.”

In addition to the team finishing the tournament with a 1-1-0 record, a few Bearcats also enjoyed tournament honors. Along with sophomore Luke Halberg, juniors Jake Keegan and Adam Whitehead were named to the WVU Nike Classic All-Tournament Team.

Coming into the West Virginia game as a substitute, Halberg finished the weekend with a goal and two assists, helping his team immensely all the while impressing Marco.

“Luke came off the bench and made the most of his time and now has said to the rest of his teammates and the coaching staff, ‘Hey, don’t forget about me, I’m one of the guys that needs to be out on the field,’ so we are delighted for him because now I think he needs to be considered to be on the playing team more,” Marco said.

However, now with the tournament behind them, the team can only look forward to its next opponent.

“You know, I’m really happy and pleased that we were able to grasp after the game, what happened in the [West Virginia] game, and I think our team has adjusted quite well,” Marco said.

Next up, Binghamton will head to Columbus, Ohio to take on The Ohio State University. The Buckeyes (2-1-1), who up until recently had also been nationally ranked, are currently the leading vote-getters among non-ranked teams. Though it has yet to play any nationally ranked teams, OSU holds impressive two-goal victories over both Stetson University and Florida International, earning them the Bert & Iris Wolstein Classic title this past weekend.

The Buckeyes’ only loss was a 1-0 upset in the Penn State Classic against the Siena College Saints. It was the Siena’s first-ever win against a nationally ranked opponent. Even though Ohio State out shot the Saints 26-8, the Siena defense held strong, allowing only two of those shots to be on target.

This season, the Buckeyes were picked to finish second in the Preseason Big Ten poll, ranked only behind defending Big Ten champion University of Indiana. The team also contributed three players to the “Big Ten Players To Watch List,” including junior forward Chris Hegngi, who finished third on the team in scoring last season with three goals and four assists (earning a total of 10 points), junior goalkeeper Matt Lampson, whose .858 save percentage, 0.72 goals-against average, and 10 shutouts last season made him a Top 10 goalkeeper in the nation, and senior defender David Tiemstra, who earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All Big-Ten accolades in 2010.

The team also returns junior midfielder Austin McAnena, whose five goals (three of which were game-winners), three assists, and 13 points were second on the team last season.

Returning to the helm of the Buckeyes for his 15th season is head coach John Bluem, who has successfully led Ohio State to its most successful era in men’s soccer history. Coming off the Buckeyes’ fourth-consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament, the three-time Big Ten coach of the year will be looking to get his third win of the season against Binghamton.

Last season, the Bearcats had the opportunity to play the Buckeyes at the Penn State Tournament, losing 1-0 on a penalty kick, a hard loss that still stings for the returning Bearcat players, as well as Marco.

“We felt a little shortchanged in that match, we should have probably had a penalty kick as well,” he said.

But always with a competitive spirit, Marco is looking forward to another chance against OSU.

“We have had the opportunity to see them play a couple of times this year,” he said. “I think that we have a couple of areas that we really need to try and take care of when we’re playing them, being a pretty physical team. We aren’t leaving any stone unturned and we will be putting the best team forward that we think will give us the best opportunity against them.”

Kickoff is set for noon on Sunday at OSU’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.