The Binghamton men’s soccer team came up short in a disappointing loss Tuesday night, falling to Syracuse, 3-1. After opening the season with a 5-2 record, their best start this decade, the Bearcats (5-3) entered the SU Soccer Stadium against the Orange (4-2-1) confident in their play.
“We firmly believed that we were going to win the game,” BU head coach Paul Marco said. “When we play well, we’re very difficult to play against. You might have a few better players than us, you might have a few more experienced players than us on paper, but our guys are terrific. I’d pick our guys all the time.”
The Orange entered the match having received votes in both the NSCAA Top 25 and the College Soccer News Top 30. BU was outshot, 17-4, for the game.
Despite the shot disparity between Binghamton and Syracuse, the Bearcats came out strong in the first half. Binghamton took the lead early when graduate student midfielder Pascal Trappe tallied his second goal of the season, heading the ball into the back of the net after a cross from junior forward Logan Roberts. The assist was Roberts’ third on the year, a team high.
Following the goal, Syracuse gained momentum, keeping possession largely in the Binghamton half. The Orange countered in the 32nd minute with a header off a set piece.
“Logan crossed the ball for Pascal and he scored a terrific goal with his head,” Marco said. “Then the game settled a little more and they were a little on top of possession — and we gave up a free kick and just decided to defend it like we haven’t defended them all year. So it’s disappointing.”
While BU was only outshot 4-2 in the first half, its offense struggled in the second. Syracuse took control, dominating possession and outshooting the Bearcats, 13-2. Despite ample opportunity, the Orange struggled to finish early, failing to get the ball past BU junior goalkeeper Robert Moewes. It took Syracuse until the 71st minute to break the tie, when the ball found the net after deflecting off multiple Orange forwards. SU tacked on an insurance goal in the 84th.
“It’s very difficult for Robert [Moewes], who made the initial save” Marco said. “The ball hit the ‘Cuse kid and goes into the goal, it was a bit unlucky. And the second goal, there were a lot of people inside the box, the ball fell to their kid.”
After the game, Coach Marco attributed some of his team’s second-half struggles to its fatigue and overall fitness level.
“I do think that our fitness was a factor in the game, especially in the second half,” Marco said. “I thought that their guys were more fit than our guys, although I thought our guys were just as competitive.”
Binghamton is set to return to the field on Saturday against Princeton.
“We have one more game to go before we’re past the half-way in the season,” Marco said. “We’re at home, we’re going to get a little better in the week of training and put a great team out on Saturday.”
Kickoff against Princeton is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.