Three minutes of madness banished the Binghamton University men’s soccer team to its second straight defeat in the conference. BU fell 3-0 to University of New Hampshire on Saturday, surrendering all three goals in a three-minute span. UNH sophomore midfielder Steven Palumbo notched two of them, and his brother, sophomore midfielder Robert Palumbo, tallied two assists.
The Bearcats (4-7, 0-2 America East) started the game strong, registering three shots and two corner kicks within the first 20 minutes.
“It was probably the game which should have just gone 0-0,” BU head coach Paul Marco said. “For a period of three or four minutes several players were very poor and during those three minutes, New Hampshire [was] very good. They punished us and made us pay for a lack of competitiveness and lack of individual defending.”
The Wildcats (5-6, 1-1 AE) got their first goal of the afternoon in the 35th minute. Robert Palumbo played a ball to sophomore midfielder Ugochukwu Uche on the right side, who sent a pass to Steven Palumbo in the box. Steven Palumbo finished the play with a shot that found the back of the net.
About a minute later, the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead when freshman midfielder Ryan McNamara scored after collecting a rebounded shot which was initially saved by Binghamton sophomore goalkeeper Chris Hayen. The BU defenders were still reeling from the effects of the two quick-fire goals when the Wildcats struck a third time one minute later. Assisted by his brother Robert, Steven Palumbo converted for his second goal of the match in the 37th minute.
Things only got worse for the Bearcats as they lost their captain, senior midfielder Ryan Walter, to a red card in the 44th minute.
“Ryan and one of their guys, [senior] Brad [Hilton], were both going to tackle the ball and Ryan came in a bit late with his studs up,” Marco said. “It was a slide tackle that he was just trying to win the ball. I don’t think there was any intent for Walter to injure him.”
In the second half, UNH was dominant again as it recorded 11 shots and six corners, but BU did not concede any more goals. Marco said he thought the team played well in the second half.
The final 10 minutes of the match saw some impressive plays from the Bearcats, with freshman midfielder Tucker Sandercock registering two shots in a five-minute span. The first shot was a headed effort with the ball going just wide of the target, while the second effort was closer to home, forcing freshman UNH goalkeeper Travis Worra to make a diving save to his right.
Despite the loss, the atmosphere in the locker room is still one of hope and desire to succeed this season.
“The good news is that we still have time to recover,” junior forward Jake Keegan said. “We have five conference games remaining and we are just looking to play well. Make the postseason and hope to maybe make some noise after that.”
Keegan and the Bearcats will have a chance to get their first conference win tonight as they are set to play host to the defending America East champion University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers.
Recognizing the fact that his squad is a young one and prone to errors, Marco is calling out for consistency from his players.
“I would like for our guys to come out and compete hard and be focused during the match,” he said. “Play with enthusiasm and compete for 90 minutes. I know we are seeing that, but we are not seeing that consistently. “
Kickoff against UMBC is set for 7 p.m. tonight at the Bearcats Sports Complex.