“It was our decision to dictate how we wanna play,” said BU head coach Kevin McKeown. “In past games, I don’t think we had done that. We didn’t come out ready to compete as a team. I think today we competed as a team … we played hard, but we didn’t just play hard, we played smart. It was great to see the guys put it together.”
The first period began with Delaware (3-3) first taking the advantage, posting two goals in just over eight minutes played. The Bearcats responded to this before the period’s end, however, with two goals from redshirt senior attack Sean Gilroy.
Just a few seconds into the second period, freshman attack Sean Makar scored another goal for the Bearcats. The Blue Hens responded one minute later, netting a goal of their own. Both teams moved the ball around for several minutes, making numerous unfruitful attempts to score. The period concluded once again in a tie, this time at 3-3.
Delaware scoring three unanswered goals to start the second half, propeling it to a sizable lead. Yet two BU scores from senior midfielder Stephen Petrelli and junior midfielder Joe Licata, respectively, brought the Bearcats to within one.
Just 15 seconds into the fourth period, the Blue Hens scored another goal to push the scoring margin to two. A few minutes later, Binghamton countered with a goal from freshman attack William Talbott-Shere. As the match was coming to its close, it seemed that Delaware was primed to capture the win. With 14 seconds left in the period, Talbott-Shere scored again for the Bearcats, tying the game as the crowd roared with applause. BU went on to win the following faceoff but was unable to score in time as the game headed into its first overtime period.
During the initial overtime, Delaware took control of the faceoff, but was denied access to the crease due to a save from redshirt sophomore goalie Kevin Carbone. Now with possession, BU quickly turned the ball over. In the waning minutes, the Blue Hens also turned it over and the Bearcats were left with the ball as the clock struck zero.
In the second and final overtime, Delaware once again won the faceoff. Unable to translate control of the ball into a goal, BU acquired possession and Gilroy rifled a shot past Delaware’s goalie to power Binghamton to its first victory of the season.
“It took six games,” Gilroy said. “But we’ve been working really hard in practice this past week … to get a win today and prove that we could play good lacrosse through four quarters, and we got a win.”
This game was the first time that Carbone joined the starting lineup, and he has taken advantage of the opportunity. Carbone finished the day with 14 saves, including several that came at critical points.
“I’ve been waiting 2 1/2 years for this,” Carbone said. “I’ve been patient and ready for this for a while. I was pretty excited, but maybe a little nervous at the same time. But it felt good to go out there.”
The Bearcats are set to face UMass Lowell at home this Saturday. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.