Coming off of a big loss at Cornell on Wednesday, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team looked for a glimmer of light on Saturday against Marist.
Unfortunately, rain was in the forecast, as the Bearcats (3-3) fell, 11-9, to the Red Foxes (3-2).
A frustrating first half produced few offensive chances for Binghamton against a skilled Marist defense. Marist controlled the pace early on, holding the Bearcats to no shots through the first five minutes of play. Any time an opening could be found in the middle, the defense swarmed to the ball, preventing many good scoring opportunities. This strong play coupled with eight turnovers limited BU to only seven shots — four on goal — and two goals in the first half.
Marist jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after just two minutes of play. But BU freshman midfielder Tiffany Ryan soon answered, netting her sixth goal of the season to tie the game. This was the closest that Binghamton got in the game, however, as Marist created a lead that it wouldn’t relinquish. In fact, the Bearcat offense disappeared for nearly 20 minutes following Ryan’s goal, until sophomore attack Brianne Arthur hit a shot to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Although Arthur’s goal generated some buzz with the home crowd and team, momentum did not remain in Binghamton’s favor for very long. Marist responded just seconds later and closed the half with two straight goals to lead, 6-2. Despite trailing, Binghamton junior goalie Erin McNulty kept the game close with four saves.
Regarding her team’s slow play in the first half, Binghamton head coach Stephanie Allen said she believed the score was a reflection of her players’ inabilities to make good choices and be patient.
“We put ourselves in that hole early on in the game,” Allen said. “It wasn’t necessarily things Marist was doing, or plays that Marist was creating. It was really unforced errors and some bad choices with the ball for Binghamton today.”
The Bearcats showcased their resilience in the second half, outscoring the Red Foxes, 7-5. If urgency was the difference that the Binghamton was looking for, the team responded well. Good ball control finally led to successful penetration of the defense by Arthur, who notched her second goal of the game on a free-position attempt. The goal kickstarted a series of solid possessions by the Binghamton offense in which it was in control for the first 10 minutes of the second stanza. BU’s defense also held its ground, preventing Marist from getting good shot chances.
Sophomore midfielder Callon Williams followed Arthur’s goal with one of her own to make it a two-goal game, at 6-4. Through the rest of the period, Williams continued to head the Binghamton offense, and she finished with a hat-trick. Binghamton had caught fire and the brewing comeback prompted a Marist timeout.
However, the ensuing draw control win by Marist set the stage for another goal, once again widening the gap to 7-5 and putting a damper on BU’s momentum. The Bearcats continued to convert Marist mishaps into goals, with another successful free-position attempt coming from senior midfielder Renee Kiviat. But the Bearcats’ strong play simply wasn’t enough to snuff out the Red Foxes.
Even with three goals in the final three minutes of the game, Marist did not falter. Instead of winding down the clock and diminishing any attempt at Binghamton chipping into its lead, Marist fired away at the net. BU scored one last goal with 16 seconds remaining to make it 11-9, but Marist closed out the game playing keep-away.
“If we had played offensively the way that we did in the last 15 minutes of the game, I think it would have been a different outcome,” Allen said.
The Bearcats are scheduled to return to action at home today against Siena. First draw control is set for 3 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.