The Binghamton women’s lacrosse team began its 2023 campaign with a road matchup against Drexel on Saturday. Binghamton is looking to make a deeper run this year, after falling to No. 2 seeded Vermont in the first round of the America East (AE) playoffs last year. While several BU students opened their scoring accounts for the season, it wasn’t enough to overcome the hosts’ offensive output as Drexel took the victory 17-5.

“I think we had a pretty slow start today, and it took us a half or so to get our feet under ourselves,” said Binghamton head coach Stephanie Allen. “For us, I think there’s a lot to build off of. Definitely limiting our turnovers and our clear percentage has got to be worked on and improved upon, but there were glimpses of things out there today that we could highlight and look to make some adjustments moving into [Pittsburgh] next Thursday.”

It didn’t take long for the floodgates to open for either side during the game’s first period, with the Dragons (1-0) getting to the Bearcats’ (0-1) goal first. Drexel scored four unanswered to put it up 4-0 early, setting the tone of the match immediately. Sophomore attack Olivia Muscolino answered with a goal of her own, Binghamton’s first goal of the season at the three-minute mark. However, a fifth Drexel goal late in the period put the score at 5-1.

In the second quarter, both teams saw more of the same. The Dragons did not let up their offensive output while continuing to keep the Bearcats at bay, outshooting them in the half 22-7. Another 15 minutes and three goals later, the Dragons had BU pinned 8-1 going into halftime.

“We just need more offensive production,” Allen said. “Again, very pleased with the girls that were able to generate some points on the board for us, but we’re capable of a better offensive output than what we saw today. We need to win the possession off of the draw and get ourselves on the offensive end a little bit more come Thursday.”

The second half opened with Drexel on top again, going up 9-1 just 30 seconds into the third quarter with a quick goal. Just minutes later, Binghamton found its second goal of the game through the efforts of senior attack Kenna Newman, opening her 2023 tally. The hosts responded with two more of their own before BU could find another, as sophomore midfielder Abigail Carroll made it 11-3 with seven and a half minutes left in the frame. The Dragons would manage four more goals in the quarter, going into the final 15 with an advantage of 15-3.

Binghamton found its feet in the closing minutes of the game, as it matched Drexel’s scoring output in the period. Junior midfielder Kristen Scheidel found the visitor’s penultimate goal of the match, with debutant and freshman attack Carla Curth closing the game with her first career goal for the Bearcats. The final quarter rout was not enough for Binghamton, though, falling in the season opener 17-5.

“It’s just cleaning up the little things,” Allen said. “Again, we’re going to focus on our draw side of the game this week heading into [Pittsburgh]. Possessions are everything and making sure we don’t have a lopsided performance come Thursday. Just with us on the offensive end, more of a cohesive effort. We were a little individualized in the first half, so we’ll look to get ourselves a little more unified come Thursday.”

Binghamton will return from the road to play its home opener against Pittsburgh on Thursday, Feb. 16. First draw control is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.