Following a dominant 19-4 win at Manhattan last week, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team suffered a 20-9 loss at Cornell on Tuesday evening. Despite keeping play tight early on and trailing by only one goal early in quarter two, the Bearcats were unable to grab a lead throughout the match as they were outscored 15-5 throughout the rest of the match by their Big Red hosts.

“Cornell is a very good team and we needed to be better to compete with them for 60 minutes,” wrote Binghamton head coach Stephanie Allen.

Cornell (6-2) was quick to get on the board, netting two goals in the first three minutes of play. When Binghamton (3-6) saw its first score after junior attack Jess Robinson found senior attack Olivia Muscolino. Cornell responded with a goal of its own as the foes went into the media break. Both squads continued to trade goals, with redshirt junior attack Emma Blloshmi netting her first and Muscolino finding the net once more, as the scoreboard read 5-3 in favor of the Big Red heading into the second quarter.

“Once our offensive players settled in and adapted to the pressure, they were able to move the ball faster and find each other — making some good connections,” Allen wrote. “We just need more steam in the second half.”

Following a woman-up opportunity, Binghamton’s first goal of period two saw Muscolino find Robinson this time around to cut the deficit to one. After two unanswered goals from the Big Red, senior midfielder Christiana Mastrorocco got it to Muscolino, who buried it in the back of the net to complete the hat-trick. However, another four unanswered scores from Cornell left BU entering halftime at an 11-5 deficit.

“We struggled with our woman-up opportunities early on this season and have spent a lot more time working on these throughout practice,” Allen wrote. “Our improved tempo and spacing have played a big part in our success more recently.”

After conceding a goal to the Big Red to start the second half, the Bearcats found themselves in a two-woman-up opportunity. When senior attack Marisa Tancredi was then awarded a free-position opportunity, she found twine. Not long after, after BU won the draw control, Tancredi assisted junior attack Carla Curth for the Bearcats’ seventh goal of the match. Cornell dominated the second half of the third quarter, however, scoring five straight goals, including three in the final 1:29 of the period, to take a 17-7 lead.

“The team chemistry has been improving every game this season, especially on the offensive end,” Allen wrote. “It’s been great getting players back from injury and incorporating them more. Our offensive allows players the freedom to read and react and we are doing a good job of finding the ‘one more’ option out there.”

Cornell continued its run, scoring first to open the final quarter of play. Soon after, Blloshmi found Tancredi as she secured her third point on the day. The two teams traded possessions before Cornell put two more in the back of the Binghamton net, cementing its lead at 20-8. With under two minutes to play and the game out of reach, a free-position shot from sophomore midfielder Mia Forte found its way into the net, with Binghamton falling to Cornell 20-9.

“This team has gained a lot of perspective through the non-conference season,” Allen wrote. “Our mentality is strong, despite some losses, and we’ve learned a lot about who we are and what we can do as a group. We are definitely ready for the start of conference play.”

The Bearcats are now set to kickoff America East conference play, traveling to Bryant on Saturday, March 22. First draw control is set for noon at the Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, Rhode Island.