With another loss suffered in conference play, the Binghamton women’s soccer team will likely need to win both of its final two regular-season games in order to advance to the America East tournament. BU (7-6-2, 2-3-1 AE) now rides a two-game losing streak after falling, 2-0, to Stony Brook on Sunday at the Bearcats Sports Complex.
Binghamton now sits in seventh in the America East standings, while only the top six teams continue to the quarterfinals. Though down, the team is not out — BU sits four points above eighth-place UMass Lowell, and only two and one below fifth- and sixth-place rivals New Hampshire and Vermont, respectively.
“We should still be in the hunt, even though our backs are against the wall,” BU head coach Sarah McClellan said. “This next game is a must win, our last two games are must wins.”
Despite managing just six shots to the Bearcats’ 14, the Seawolves (9-5-1, 4-2 AE) were able to put up one goal in each half.
The first came 40 minutes in, after a foul on Binghamton gave the Seawolves a free kick. Sophomore defender Stella Norman deflected a ball off the crossbar from 32 yards out, beating BU junior keeper Gaby Gold and giving Stony Brook a 1-0 lead.
The match’s second goal came in the 69th minute off of a corner kick as Norman assisted senior forward Larissa Nysch.
The Bearcats started out strong, playing fast on offense and creating numerous opportunities to score, but the Seawolves capitalized on their few chances.
Binghamton opened the second with fervor, looking to equalize the score. The team notched a total of 10 shots in the second half alone, but still could not find the back of the net.
Sophomore midfielder Katie Corcoran and senior forward Conor O’Brien led the team offensively, contributing four and three shots, respectively, but were kept at bay by SBU junior keeper Ashley Castanio. In the final minutes, sophomore forward Stephani Church and O’Brien created good scoring chances, but O’Brien’s shot was swept up by Castanio while Church’s went wide.
“We played an attractive style of soccer today, and moved the ball very quickly. We got everyone involved in the attack,” McClellan said. “I thought we deserved better, but Stony Brook finished on their chances, and that’s what decides the game. We played really good soccer, and as long as we can continue this and improve on a few things, we should be able to do well in our next game.”
BU’s next game is scheduled for Thursday against UMass Lowell (1-14-1, 1-5 AE), which is coming off its first Division I win with a 3-2, double-overtime victory against third-place UMBC. The River Hawks rallied from a two-goal second half deficit to capture the win in the 103rd minute on a header.
Three days later, Binghamton is set to host Vermont (7-6-2, 2-3-2 AE) for both teams’ final regular-season matchup. Vermont will enter the match with a week of rest after having dropped its last match, 2-0, at conference-leader Hartford. The Hawks (10-4-3, 5-2 AE) outshot the Catamounts, 19-9. BU faced off against Hartford last Thursday and also fell 2-0, but managed 11 shots to the Hawks’ 13.
Kickoff for Thursday’s contest against UMass Lowell is slated for 6 p.m. at Cushing Field Complex, while Sunday’s is set for 1 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex.