After a pair of one-goal home losses, the latest being a 10-9 late-game slip against 19th-ranked Colgate, the Bearcats (2-4) look to break the status quo this Sunday against visiting Air Force.
The squad is hungry for a home victory after two tough weeks, now looking for an edge before its first America East matchup next Saturday.
As the Falcons (4-3) — the first ever military academy opponent for the Bearcats — make their way to Vestal, BU head coach Scott Nelson said he is both excited and hopeful for his team.
“We just have to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get back in the fray,” Nelson said. “[Air Force is] a very talented opponent, and of course they’re in great shape. It should be an exciting game.”
Coming off a 15-12 win against Jacksonville, Air Force will bring a strong attack. The Falcons currently average more than 11 goals per game. They have posted 15 scores per game in their four victories.
But the Falcons will be confronted by a hot Bearcats offense. Senior attack Matt Springer comes off a five-goal outing against Colgate last week, and junior attack Tucker Nelson will try to extend his goal streak to six games. Defensively, Binghamton will have to stop Air Force’s strike early. The Falcons have scored more than 40 percent of their goals in the first quarter.
So far this season, the combined record of Binghamton’s out-of-conference opponents is 25-18. Of the teams that have beaten Binghamton, that figure widens to 22-7, and sixth-ranked Syracuse is still on deck for next month. But Nelson said the competitiveness of this 2014 non-conference schedule will benefit the Bearcats as they go through the season.
“Of the America East schools, we have certainly played one of the toughest, if not the toughest out-of-conference schedule,” Nelson said. “We have been very well-prepared.”
The Bearcats and Falcons will take the field at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Bearcats Sports Complex.