The Binghamton men’s lacrosse team hosted Lafayette on Saturday, looking to start its season with three straight wins for the first time in program history. Despite taking a 3-1 lead in the first quarter, the Bearcats were outscored 9-1 for the rest of the game, losing their home opener 10-4.

“I thought we kind of came out hot there,” said Binghamton head coach Kevin McKeown. “Then [Lafayette] settled in and did a better job competing on ground balls, winning face-offs and really did a good job of getting the ball off the ground on their defensive end. It just allowed them to keep attacking, and I thought, unfortunately, we lost a little bit of confidence there and didn’t regain it after halftime.”

BU (2-1) got started on offense early, attacking Lafayette’s (2-3) cage in the opening minutes. Despite the hosts’ pressure, the Leopards struck first, scoring off of a turnover. With just under eight minutes in the first period, redshirt junior midfielder Thomas Greenblatt received a pass from senior midfielder Quinn O’Hara at the top of the crease and ripped a goal to even the score at 1-1. That goal sparked a three-goal run for Binghamton as senior midfielder Nicholas Imburgia and junior midfielder Ethan Insinga added to the total. After one quarter, the Bearcats held a 3-1 advantage.

“We’ve seen us [score early] in previous games,” McKeown said. “We just gotta get back to the drawing board and compete hard in practice this week and make sure we get better.”

The second quarter began with two saves from sophomore goalie Connor Winters, however, consistent pressure from the visitors eventually found the back of the net to cut the deficit to just one goal. This led to three consecutive scores for the Leopards as they continued to pressure BU’s defense, taking a 4-3 lead with less than four minutes to play in the half. The hosts struggled to create opportunities on offense in the second frame as they failed to add to its tally. Lafayette put up four goals in this time span to enter halftime with a 5-3 lead.

“I think a little bit of it may be shot selection and just making sure we’re working for higher percentage opportunities,” McKeown said. “Getting a better angle on goal in some cases, and I thought we did get some good opportunities that we just didn’t can.”

Lafayette took less than a minute to get on the board in the second half, as it capitalized on a power play that carried over from the end of the first half. Binghamton finally responded to the 5-0 run with a goal by O’Hara, but the Leopards answered just 20 seconds later. After some quiet play for the rest of the period, BU conceded two more goals to fall behind 9-4 going into the final frame. The Bearcats struggled to maintain possession in the penultimate quarter as they had six turnovers and 19 overall in the game.

“I didn’t think we cleared the ball well in that third quarter,” McKeown said. “That really wore us down, and when you’re down three goals after the first man-up goal by [Lafayette], it’s hard to come back when you’re not getting those possessions.”

In the fourth quarter, Binghamton could not find the back of the net as Lafayette added one more goal to its total. The game ended 10-4 as the Bearcats picked up their first loss of the season.

“It was a tough start with the penalty to start the half there,” McKeown said. “They put one in man up. [Lafayette’s] a really good team, they continue to get better every year, so we’ll get back to practice this week and get ready for St. John’s.”

The Bearcats will remain at home for their next game against St. John’s on Saturday, March 4. First face-off is scheduled for noon at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.