On Saturday afternoon, the Binghamton men’s soccer team extended its winning streak to four by defeating the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils 2-1, securing the program’s longest winning streak since 2007. The Bearcats were first to find the net, but the Blue Devils responded late in the first half to tie the game 1-1. BU struck back, taking a 2-1 lead that it would hold onto for the remainder of the game despite having to play a man down following a red card in the 63rd minute.

“I mean obviously you’re delighted with the outcome of the game,” said Binghamton head coach Paul Marco. “I thought we started well, and then it kinda just unraveled from there … But then we got the game-winner, and I was very happy with that.”

Binghamton (6-2-1) was quick to attack the Blue Devils’ (0-7-1) goal, where sophomore forward Anthony Randazzo and senior midfielder Billy Clark each attempted headers in the opponent’s box within the first eight minutes of play. Just four minutes later, sophomore forward/midfielder Marcus Nahim went on a deep run on the left wing, creeping by to deliver a pass into the box for Randazzo, who buried the shot in the back of the net for his team-leading fourth goal of the year. This lead wouldn’t hold for long, as in the 38th minute, going on a run inside the BU box, Central Connecticut State got one past graduate student goalkeeper Dylan McDermott, evening the score. Neither squad found the back of the net for the rest of the half, going into the half knotted at 1-1.

“I think we were really good in some moments, and off it in some,” Marco said. “We need to be more consistent in winning our duels in [one-on-one] defending.”

BU opened the second half by forcing three consecutive corner kicks in the first eight minutes, and nearly scoring twice. The Blue Devils almost took the lead three minutes later, but a diving grab from McDermott maintained the draw. Yet again, Binghamton’s offensive persistence paid off. In the 56th minute, BU’s next attacking run saw Nahim connect with graduate student midfielder Tom Cohen for his second assist of the night. Four minutes later, Binghamton had an opportunity to build its lead to two when Randazzo surged past the last Blue Devils defender, but a foul inches outside of the box stopped his run, and BU could not convert on the ensuing free kick.

“For the first couple of minutes [following the red card], you just go into survival mode,” Marco said. “You’ve got to figure it out. I felt like if they were going to get a goal, it was going to come from a wide delivery into the box … We knew they were going to have to try to get behind us so we dropped the line a bit, and I thought the guys did well with it.”

In the 62nd minute, the Blue Devil goalkeeper ran far outside of the box in an attempt to clear a long lob from McDermott, leaving his net defenseless, and Cohen booted a shot from the halfway line that almost became his second goal of the night. The Bearcats’ near-goal opportunities became more important when in the 63rd minute senior back Charlie Kaldor received his second yellow card of the night, leaving Binghamton to play a man down for the rest of the match. The Bearcats shifted into a defense-prioritizing formation with most of their midfielders dropping back while maintaining their runs into the opponent’s half. BU held on until the final whistle blew, securing the 2-1 victory.

“I think we’re on the right track,” Marco said. “We need to be much more disciplined with everything on the field. Off the field, the guys are excellent. I mean it’s a terrific group of guys — they look out for each other, they give good reminders, they reprimand when it’s off the field.”

Binghamton will look to continue its strong start to the season in its opening game of America East play against UMBC on Saturday, Sept. 28. Kickoff is set for 6:07 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.