The Binghamton women’s lacrosse team looks to snap its three-game losing skid this Saturday when it hosts Albany in its penultimate America East regular season game. The Bearcats (2-9, 1-3 America East) stand in a sixth-place tie with Vermont, but they can still earn a berth in the conference tournament, which starts two weeks from today.
The Great Danes: Albany (9-4, 3-1 AE), which rides a 15-6 non-conference victory over Columbia into the weekend, has won five of its last six games after starting 2013 at 4-3. Just one game behind first-place Stony Brook, the Great Danes could still earn the conference tournament’s top seed. A win over Binghamton would guarantee them a spot in the four-team playoff.
Offensive discrepancy: With 12 goals in Saturday’s loss to Boston University, Binghamton matched its season high. Albany, meanwhile, has eclipsed that mark eight times. The Great Danes, who rank second in the America East with 13.31 goals per game, have five players with 20 or more goals, while Binghamton has just one, senior midfield Katherine Hunsberger.
Turnovers: Albany leads the America East with 10.69 turnovers per game, and Binghamton ranks last in caused turnovers. On the other end, the Bearcats will also need to be more prudent with the ball, as they come off a 20-turnover outing against Boston University.
After the Boston game, Binghamton head coach Stephanie Allen said she planned to address the turnover issue in practice this week: “Going forward through this week that’s kind of the focus, going into practices, to maximize our choice-making out there in pressure situations and really just make sure that we minimize the turnovers that are unforced.”
Who to watch: For Albany, senior attack Rachael Burek facilitates one of the conference’s most potent offenses. She leads the America East with 64 points on 24 goals and a conference-best 40 assists. Only one other America East player has more than 27 assists this season, and no Bearcat has more than seven. Hunsberger has been Binghamton’s top scorer with 26 goals in her senior season. In the loss to Boston University, she and senior midfield Kristen Stone, who has recorded 19 points, each tallied three goals.