Call it déjà vu or getting a taste of your own medicine. Or both.

But no matter what you call it, the Binghamton University men’s soccer team was plagued by the results of its last two games in a 2-1 loss on Sunday to The Ohio State University.

Just one week after the Bearcats conceded their 1-0 lead for a 2-1 loss at West Virginia University and then two days later rallied for four goals in 18 minutes to sail past Houston Baptist University, the Buckeyes turned the tables and accomplished similar feats on Sunday against Binghamton.

Despite having taken the lead in the fourth minute and holding it for nearly the entire game, BU surrendered two goals in the final 15 minutes of regulation to allow the No. 11 Buckeyes to slip past for a 2-1 victory.

This marks the second time in 10 days that the Bearcats (2-2) have faced off against a nationally ranked opponent. On Sept. 2, they took on then-No. 12 West Virginia and, despite taking an early lead, allowed the Mountaineers to rally for the final two goals of the match to come out on top, 2-1.

And the Bearcats got off to the same start against the Buckeyes (3-1-1) on Sunday. Junior forward Jake Keegan, who has been praised by head coach Paul Marco for his hot start, netted his fourth goal just four minutes into the match.

After receiving a long pass on the left side of the field from sophomore forward Luke Halberg, Keegan cut into the middle and found himself one-on-one with a Buckeye defender. He used a nifty piece of dribbling to change direction and unleashed a shot from about 25 yards away. The ball skidded past junior goalie Matt Lampson’s outstretched arms to give the Bearcats their second early 1-0 lead against one of the nation’s top teams this year.

“The coaching staff really gets us ready for the match and I think that’s a huge part of why we’re starting games off so well,” Keegan said.

BU saw a multitude of scoring opportunities in the first half but was only able to capitalize on Keegan’s. The team held a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks in the first half and, according to Marco, had other chances that went awry and could have put the team up by more than one at the half.

“We missed two, possibly even three other chances where we hit the post or had a ball cleared off the line,” he said. “Legitimate opportunities that should have put us up three goals.”

Keegan also stressed the importance of converting on chances to get a comfortable lead.

“If we were able to go up 2-0, it would have been a different game,” he said.

Binghamton’s advantage held steady until the 74th minute when a long Ohio State throw-in found the head of junior Chris Hengi who directed it past sophomore goalie Anthony Sokalski to tie the game at one.

Considering the Buckeyes’ ranking as one of the top teams in the nation, the Bearcats most likely would have been satisfied with a tie.

But OSU struck again 10 minutes later for the game-winning goal. The goal came off a Binghamton turnover when Ohio State junior Sebastian Rivas found himself with a perfect pass from freshman Kenny Cunningham and shot past Sokalski to take the late 2-1 lead and the game.

Marco said he is pleased with Binghamton’s ability to come out strong and jump ahead in the early-goings of its recent games against powerhouse teams, but its inability to hold on to those leads is due to being careless with small things that make or break a match.

“The little things in our game make the biggest difference,” he said. “Once we start [taking care of them] consistently you’ll see that games like today and games like West Virginia will perhaps come our way.”

After having yesterday off, the team heads back to practice today to prepare for its first in-semester home games scheduled for this weekend. The Bearcats are set to play host to the four-team Binghamton Tournament at the Bearcats Sports Complex on Friday and Sunday. Binghamton is scheduled to face off against Central Connecticut State University at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Rider University at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.