In their first-ever matchup, the Binghamton men’s soccer team and St. Peter’s settled for a 1-1 tie after the Peacocks scored the equalizer with 12:25 left in regulation at the Bearcats Sports Complex on Tuesday night.
“I thought it was a very competitive match. I’m disappointed we didn’t get three points tonight,”
Binghamton head coach Paul Marco said. “I thought we played well enough in the first half and well enough in overtime to have three points instead of one.”
Junior forward Steven Celeste put the Bearcats (2-4-2) on the board first in the 47th minute with his second goal of the season. Junior midfielder Ben Nicholson set up senior forward Marts Reid-Warden, who drew the attention of the goalkeeper before dishing it to a cutting Celeste for an easy finish.
“There was good build-up play,” Celeste said. “Ben played a great pass to Marts. I thought Marts could have scored the goal but I called for it and I knew if he made a decent pass, I’d have a wide-open net and that’s what happened.”
St. Peter’s (1-4-2) retaliated in the 77th minute when junior midfielder Marcel Maddee one-timed a pass from freshman midfielder Luke Fairlamb into the goal.
Binghamton recruited Maddee while he was still in Germany and knew the midfielder had a lethal right leg.
“We know a lot about the kid who scored the goal,” Marco said. “We knew he was right-footed and we put him on his favorite foot and he punished us for it.”
Senior back Robbie Hughes nearly put in a charging header from six yards in front of the net with five minutes left to play, but couldn’t convert as the ball sailed just over the goalpost.
Inside the final minute of regulation, sophomore goalkeeper Stefano Frantellizzi, who finished with five saves, dove to stop a shot that was launched at the right side of the net to send the game into overtime.
While the Peacocks controlled the first overtime period with a 3-0 shot advantage, the Bearcats were the aggressors in the final sudden-death period, outshooting their opponents 4-0. Overall, both teams took 12 shots in the contest.
“Maybe on the night, we didn’t focus enough,” Celeste said. “But the opportunities are there and that’s what matters more in the long run. When it comes down to conference play, we just need to put them in.”
BU’s shortcomings in front of the net cost them in the end, according to Celeste and Marco. The player and coach said the team has to be more precise in the opponent’s box and capitalize on offensive opportunities.
“I think our last second of concentration in front of the net slipped a little bit tonight,” Celeste said.
“We gave the ball away a little too much at times and I’m really disappointed by our play in front of goal,” Marco said. “I felt like our guys all tried to be heroes today instead of getting the collective goal.”
The Bearcats have two more non-conference matchups before they travel to Vermont on Oct. 5 to kick off their conference season.
BU will try to return to the win column on Friday night when it’s set to host St. Bonaventure at 7 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex.