Despite stellar play throughout most of the match, the Binghamton men’s soccer team fell to Vermont, 2-0, bringing BU’s record to 5-9-3 (1-3-2 America East). The Bearcats outshot Vermont (10-7, 5-1 AE) 17-9, but ultimately, Vermont sophomore goalkeeper Aron Runarsson made multiple noteworthy saves to earn a clean sheet.
Throughout the first half, the Bearcats created several opportunities for goals, but were unable to find the back of the net. Despite not scoring, Binghamton was in command of the game, outshooting the Catamounts 8-2 in the first period.
“We started the match great,” said BU head coach Paul Marco. “We played very well through the first half, created a few great opportunities; we got in behind them a few times. In the first half alone, their goalkeeper made three great saves to keep them in the game.”
The Bearcats stayed strong at the start of the second half, but 10 minutes in, they made their first mistake of the game as junior Catamount forward Justin Freitas beat the defense on a give-and-go to give Vermont the advantage. Just over six minutes later, Freitas received a pass into the middle of the box, which he put in the back of the net to make it 2-0.
“The way that we approached the game, the gameplay, everything was very good,” Marco said. “With the exception of two moments, where their special guys get goals, we just didn’t do a really good job in those two moments.”
Even though the scoreboard read 2-0, the Bearcats still felt in control of the game, retaining most of the possessions and not allowing another shot-on-net. However, even though they were dominant, they were unable to get the ball past Runarsson, who made clutch saves repeatedly.
“Aron was outstanding in the game,” Marco said. “He pulled two goals out of the back of the goal that, you know one of them is behind him and he reaches and gets it.”
Overall the Bearcats played solidly, but they were simply unable to find the back of the net.
“Jack [Muller] got great looks, two of them, Connor McKnight gets two great looks at the goal, [Harrison] Weilbacher gets a great look, and Ben Ovetsky gets two great looks at the goal,” Marco said. “We just needed to do better in those moments. I thought all of our guys played pretty well.”
BU is still looking for a solution in-goal. Currently, Binghamton has three goalkeepers, none of whom have solidified the role of starter. Redshirt freshman Isaiah Pettis, redshirt sophomore Chris Shutler and redshirt sophomore Alejandro Cubillo are all vying for the position. For the most part, Cubillo and Shutler have each been playing a half. However, Pettis got the start two weeks ago at Bucknell, the Bearcats’ last win.
“[Cubillo] in certain areas is a little cleaner than the other two,” Marco said. “I would say that [Shutler] probably has a little more presence than the other two, and I would say Isaiah has probably got the biggest upside over the other two. We’re pushing each guy to show that they can be that guy.”
Up next for the Bearcats is another conference match against Albany as Binghamton looks to improve from its sixth place record of 1-3-2. The regular-season finale is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.