In the midst of its best regular-season run since 2009, the Binghamton men’s soccer team (7-5-2, 2-1-1 America East) will face another legitimate challenge this weekend when it takes on 2014 America East Conference champion UMBC (7-4-3, 1-1-2 AE).
With the Bearcats positioning themselves to make a run at their first conference title since 2006, BU head coach Paul Marco had nothing but praise for the character of his team.
“I think that the spirit of the group is tremendous, the way that they come out to training every day,” Marco said. “It’s just a joy to be with them. They’re pretty laid back when it comes to the importance of something. They just come out and bring it every day for us.”
Saturday’s opponent, the UMBC Retrievers, came rushing out of the gates to start their 2015 campaign, tallying a 6-2-1 record in non-conference play. But, since the start of the America East schedule, however, their form has been noticeably sporadic. UMBC currently holds a 1-2-2 record in conference play, managing only one point in its last three games. Despite this fact, Marco believes the outcome of the game will depend on his team’s performance.
“The game plan hasn’t been put in yet,” Marco said. “Right now we’ve just focused on us all week, trying to improve in certain areas. I think we’ve gotten better with the ball, where our speed of play is a little quicker, and we’ve worked on some set pieces.”
The key to the Bearcats’ success this weekend will be their ability to hold off the potent UMBC offense, which has scored 20 goals so far — good enough for third in the conference. Particularly threatening will be senior forward Darius Madison, a recent transfer from Virginia who has tallied six goals for the Retrievers this season. Madison currently leads the America East with an average of 3.73 shots per game. The Retriever defense is spearheaded by junior goalkeeper Billy Heavner, who has recorded 47 saves this season. Heavner made a crucial save in last season’s conference championship game victory over Hartford.
Following his two assists and quality play last week for the Bearcats, freshman midfielder Harrison Weilbacher was named the America East Rookie of the Week. He has been an ever-present cog in the Bearcats’ attack this season, befuddling defenders with his skill and creativity from the left wing.
“Harry [Weilbacher] has been great, he’s been outstanding for us all season,” Marco said. “I think the world of him right now, and I’ve added him to our leadership group. He’s been one of our more constant performers on the field, and he’s been a guy that the team can count on.”
While Marco is delighted with his team’s current position, he expects even more from his surging Bearcat squad.
“In fact, I’ve said if anyone uses the words ‘we’ve got to just maintain,’ I’m going to throw them out of training,” Marco said. “We’re not maintaining here, we’re trying to get better every day.”
Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.