The Binghamton men’s lacrosse team is set to return home this weekend looking to end a two-game skid against America East (AE) opponent UMass Lowell.
The Bearcats (2-6, 1-1 AE) are coming off consecutive road losses in which the offense has not looked particularly dangerous. BU was defeated, 15-6, by sixth-ranked Towson before their first conference loss of the year to Hartford, 17-9, last Saturday.
The offense has been crucial to BU’s success this season. After an 0-3 start to the season in which BU averaged just six goals per game, the offense seemed to have turned a corner. Binghamton went 2-1 in a three-game stretch in which its offense averaged over 12 goals per game, but the attack has not produced the same sort of numbers since.
For the Bearcats, the double-digit goal mark is an important one. They haven’t won a game this season when the team has scored fewer than 10 goals.
“It starts with getting the ball,” BU head coach Scott Nelson said when asked about the team’s offensive struggles. “In the last game against Hartford, our offense actually did okay, but we just didn’t have the ball enough.”
Another problem for the Bearcats has been the team’s tendency to give up large scoring runs. In their last two losses, the Bearcats have allowed opponents to score three or more unanswered goals six separate times. This includes a 7-0 run by Towson and a 5-0 run by Hartford, each of which put the games out of reach for BU.
“We have to get the ground balls,” Nelson said. “We have to win some face-offs and we’ve got to get some stops on defense and help each other play better team defense.”
Binghamton’s opponent this weekend, UMass Lowell (2-9, 0-3 AE), has had struggles of its own. UML’s offense averages only 8.64 goals per game, which is just slightly lower than BU’s 8.75 goal average. Like BU, UMass Lowell has had success when it’s hit the double-digit goal mark. The River Hawks are 2-2 when scoring over 10 goals, but have yet to win when scoring fewer than 10.
Nelson believes that the contest could be high-scoring, which could tilt the contest in BU’s favor.
“If we get enough possessions, it could turn out like that,” he said. “We’d like to get the ball going up and down the field and get a lot of opportunities.”
UMass Lowell’s defense has seen its own struggles this year, allowing teams to average over 11 goals per game against it. Despite this fact, the River Hawks have been in many close games throughout the season. Five of their nine losses have been by three goals or fewer.
“It’s about working hard and loving the game,” Nelson said when discussing the upcoming matchup. “We’ve got a good group of guys, they’re bright, they get it, they know what’s going on. They’ve had a great week of practice.”
The Bearcats hope to continue their success in the face-off circle when they take on the River Hawks. UMass Lowell has won only 37 percent of its face-offs this season, which pales in comparison to Binghamton’s 52 percent. BU is also set to return to its home field for the first time since March 22. Binghamton has been victorious in its last two home games.
“I think they’re excited for it [to return home] and it’s the same message we always give,” Nelson said. “Stay very positive, we’re in a great place and we’re certainly going to continue to work to get better.”
The game between Binghamton and UML is set to begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, NY.