Aiming to return to its winning ways after a pair of tough losses against Cornell and Marist, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team’s skid hit three on Tuesday after falling, 12-3, to Siena. In its fourth loss of the season, Binghamton (3-4) faced a disheartening first half and was unable to dust itself off against an impressive Saints (4-4) squad.
“We knew Siena was a much improved team,” BU head coach Stephanie Allen said. “They have a new coaching staff that is doing some really solid things with the program right now, and we knew that the game would be competitive if we came out and played well but unfortunately we didn’t execute.”
Siena started out with a strong three-goal lead over the Bearcats, scoring the contest’s first netter in the opening two minutes. Siena continued building its lead with two more points before the Bearcats managed to put themselves on the board. The first and only goal of the half for Binghamton was netted by senior midfielder Renee Kiviat just under 10 minutes in. Kiviat also managed to put in another goal in the second half, which made her Binghamton’s leading scorer.
Down seven heading into the half after a 5-0 Siena run to close the first period, freshman goalkeeper Emma Jehle entered BU’s cage for the game’s second stanza, providing a fresh set of hands that picked up eight saves.
“Our second-string goalie stepped in, Emma Jehle, getting her second time in cage at the collegiate level,” Allen said. “She did a very nice job bringing a spark to the defensive end and getting a few key saves that were important for us when there wasn’t much support in front of her.”
But despite Jehle’s clutch stops, the second half still didn’t start out promisingly for Binghamton. The Saints increased their lead to 12-1, taking advantage of ground balls and Binghamton fouls. Despite their disadvantage, the Bearcats certainly didn’t go down without a fight. BU hung tough with Siena in shots in the second, 15-13, and committed only one turnover to Siena’s four.
The game was dominated by the Saints, though BU managed to fire the two final goals of the game as the clock wound down. Sophomore attack Brianne Arthur sprang into action to net her lone goal of the game with three and a half minutes left. Kiviat finished up scoring with a netter assisted by Russo. Still, despite their efforts, it was far too late for the Bearcats to ignite a comeback with only two minutes left and a nine-goal deficit.
Opening America East play against UMBC on Saturday, the Bearcats will use their short week to take a new focus and a long look.
“The rest of this week, going into conference, we’re going to focus on us,” Allen said. “What Binghamton needs to do well is focus on our strengths, improve those weaknesses we have, and go back to some of the basics and play good, clean, disciplined lacrosse.”
First draw control against UMBC is set for Saturday at noon at UMBC Stadium in Catonsville, Maryland.