Still searching for their first win of the season after falling 10-9 to Marist last Saturday, the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team fell to Hofstra 15-5. After being outscored 7-2 in the first quarter, the Bearcats were unable to mount a comeback, getting outscored in all four quarters.

“I think just maybe some comfortability,” said Binghamton head coach Kevin McKeown. “Your own environment, your own locker room that you get at home that you might not get on the road. But honestly, I think we expect to be better than we were today, and I’m not sure if it mattered where we had played.”

Hofstra (4-1) took the lead early on with three consecutive goals in the first four minutes. This did not deter Binghamton (0-3), as a minute after the third goal, graduate student attack/midfielder Liam Ferris picked up a ground ball and put Binghamton on the board. The Pride’s offense did not relent, setting the score at 6-1 with two minutes left of play in the first period. With only 54 seconds remaining, junior midfielder Colin Delay connected with sophomore attack Andrew Girolamo, who found the back of the net. As the seconds dwindled, the Pride had a man-up opportunity that led to one more goal as they went into the second quarter up 7-2.

“Honestly, first half, we didn’t like too much,” McKeown said. “They scored on eight of their first 11 possessions and I didn’t think we did a good job of being patient offensively. I did think that we battled pretty well facing off, but we just didn’t come out and I thought we were a little tentative while they were a little more aggressive and got after us at the start.”

The second period started with a faceoff win and clear from Hofstra, leading to another three-goal run and a 10-2 advantage. With eight minutes left, the Bearcats looked for an opportunity to get back on the board, but two of their shots on goal were saved. With just two minutes remaining, Ferris, off an assist from sophomore attack Drew Filanowski scored Binghamton’s third goal, bringing the first half to a close with a score of 10-3.

“I thought toward the end of the second quarter we started sticking to the game plan a little bit more,” McKeown said. “We didn’t really make any big schematic changes necessarily at halftime.”

Binghamton won the opening faceoff as it searched for the first goal of the third period. After four minutes of play, the Bearcats would have a shot on goal that Hofstra’s goalkeeper ultimately saved. The quarter ended with two more goals, one from Hofstra and one from the Bearcats, courtesy of Girolamo, as the scoreboard read 12-4 going into the final quarter of play.

“We got to do a better job securing the ball, clearing and do the faceoff,” McKeown said. “I think offensively/defensively, you know, we’re gonna, probably just really look to get back to basics, slide and recover defensively and move the ball and work for good opportunities on offense.”

Early into the fourth period, Hofstra scored on a man-up opportunity, going up 13-4. For the next seven minutes, the ball went back and forth until a turnover from Hofstra and a clear from the Bearcats led sophomore long stick midfielder Nolan Sharkey to score his first collegiate goal. With 37 seconds left, Hofstra found the back of the net one last time as the Bearcats fell 15-5.

“We’ll take a look at everything,” McKeown said. “Thankfully, I think, hopefully it’s a good thing that we have a quick turnaround and play midweek and we’re able to get back out there and hopefully forget about this one.”

Binghamton will return home for its home opener against Siena on Wednesday, March 5. Faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.