After consecutive losses to open America East play, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team earned a 12-8 win over Vermont on Saturday afternoon. A tight back-and-forth game saw the Bearcats’ 5-3 halftime lead turn into an 8-8 tie when they were outscored 5-3 in the third quarter. However, a dominant fourth quarter where the Bearcats shut out the Catamounts 4-0 locked in their first conference win.

“Just really proud of them and their battle,” said Binghamton head coach Stephanie Allen. “The season was kind of on the line today, and we knew it was a battle to keep hopes alive, and they went out there and took care of business. Just really proud of the effort and the heart that they played with today.”

Binghamton (4-8, 1-2 AE) nearly opened scoring with a shot by senior attacker Olivia Muscolino that bounced off the post. Instead, it would be fellow senior attacker Marisa Tancredi who found twine first, bringing BU a 1-0 lead. After graduate student goalie Sofia Salgado saved a free-position shot, Vermont (4-8, 0-4 AE) recovered the ground ball and put one past Salgado for its first score.

Soon after, junior attacker Emma Blloshmi made it 2-1 for the Bearcats on a free-position shot. On the next Bearcat possession, Blloshmi scored again as the quarter came to a close.

“Today we just really took advantage of what was on the line, and the season relied on us getting the win today and keeping our playoff hopes alive,” Allen said. “I think we stepped out there and played with a lot of [hunger] and eagerness from the first whistle and that was what you saw from our players in the ride today.”

After five scoreless minutes to start the second, Vermont cut its deficit to one with a free-position goal. The Bearcats responded when junior attacker Carla Curth was awarded a free-position opportunity herself, finding Muscolino just outside the crease, who buried it in the back of the net. On Binghamton’s next possession, Muscolino converted a free-position opportunity for another Bearcat score. For the final score of the half, the Catamounts found net to make it a 5-3 game.

“Blloshmi today was an absolute beast,” Allen said. “I think she had nine draw controls on top of her five goals, so just the collaborative-ness on the field and really working to create something there in a tough, high-pressure moment was impressive to me.”

Vermont’s offense came out hot to start the second half of play, scoring twice in the first 1:33 to tie the game at five. Blloshmi then converted a free-position opportunity to retake the lead for BU, but a free-position goal from the Catamounts reinstated the deadlock. In just her second game back from an ACL injury suffered in 2024, senior midfielder Abigail Carroll made a splash, scoring once and assisting Muscolino to give the Bearcats an 8-6 lead. Fighting to stay in the game, the Catamounts then scored two straight as the foes entered the fourth quarter tied at eight.

“Its fun just to see her passion for the game out on the field,” Allen said of Carroll. “We’re using her kind of sparingly, we don’t want to go too much honor too soon, but she just brings so much energy to the field, and it’s fun having her and her desire to win out there.”

The fourth quarter opened with both squads struggling to score, with Vermont attempting three unsuccessful shots and Binghamton attempting two. As the defenses tightened and tensions rose, a yellow card against the Catamounts enabled Blloshmi to score her fourth, and a goal from sophomore midfielder Mia Forte followed to give BU a two-score lead. The final 3:00 of play saw a goal apiece from Tancredi and Blloshmi to seal the 12-8 win.

“We talked about having to get balls in the back of the net and not just relying on our defense to get stops,” Allen said. “I thought [freshman midfielder Leah Kaufer] came in and did a tremendous job on the draw in that second half, and getting us the ball on our stick.”

The Bearcats will look to build on Saturday’s momentum when they travel to take on UMass Lowell on Saturday, April 12. First draw control is set for 11 a.m. at Cushing Field Complex in Lowell, Massachusetts.