Going into the Binghamton men’s soccer team’s matches against Siena and Manhattan, sophomore midfielder Miles Burbank had started just one game in his collegiate career. But in his two starts over Labor Day weekend, Burbank scored half of the Bearcats’ four goals, leading them to a 2-2 tie against the Saints (1-1-1) and a 2-0 victory over the Jaspers (0-3).
It took just eight minutes for BU (2-0-2) to score against Siena on Friday. Burbank headed a cross from sophomore midfielder Conrad Nowowiejski into the back of the net to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead. The tally was the first of Burbank’s collegiate career.
“We started with a lot of energy, while a lot of teams don’t start off too quickly,” said BU head coach Paul Marco.
Binghamton managed to stay ahead throughout the first period, and at the half the Bearcats held a 7-6 advantage in shots. However, the game turned around early in the second half when a foul in the box resulted in a Siena penalty kick. Siena junior forward Alexander Tejera scored the penalty, which was followed by another Siena goal 50 seconds later when freshman midfielder Matt Crisafulli broke free of the back line and tapped the ball past redshirt freshman Alejandro Cubillo.
“We played really well, other than the 50-second span where they scored their goals,” Marco said. “We made a bad foul, they scored the penalty, and then they got energized and scored another one.”
It took 50 seconds for the Bearcats to lose control of a game they comfortably led for more than 40 minutes. After that, they refused to let the deficit increase. Binghamton regained its composure quickly after Siena’s second goal and evened the match in the 62nd minute. Redshirt junior back Charlie Novoth fired a free kick into the box, which was redirected by sophomore midfielder Kevin Flesch and then finished by sophomore forward Alex Varkatzas past Siena junior goalkeeper Aleksa Radosavljevic.
After Binghamton tied the game at two, no side was able to pull ahead in regulation. Even with two overtime periods, neither team was able net the winning shot. The Bearcats outshot Siena 17-16 on the evening, including 4-0 in overtime.
“We had some great chances that we couldn’t put away in the end,” Marco said. “But it was a great performance by everyone. Young guys, juniors, seniors — they all played their part.”
Burbank was once again active on the field in Binghamton’s victory against Manhattan on Monday. This time, though, it was easier. The Jaspers were forced to play with just 10 men for 80 minutes after senior midfielder Niels Kirch was handed a red card and ejected from the game.
The Bearcats took 20 more minutes to capitalize on the man down when Burbank scored his second of the weekend off a cross from Novoth. In the first half alone, BU outshot Manhattan 9-2.
Binghamton continued to control play in the second, when it further outshot Manhattan, 9-4. In the 58th minute, senior back Zach Galluzzo headed a corner kick into the back of the net to give the Bearcats a 2-0 lead, which Manhattan was never able to overcome.
Playing behind an experienced back line, Cubillo was credited with the second clean sheet of his collegiate career in his fourth start of the season.
Binghamton is set to return to the field on Monday against Northern Illinois. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. from the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex in DeKalb, Illinois.