With just under 12 minutes left in the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team’s game against Mount St. Mary’s, freshman midfielder Jamie Golderman was fouled by the Mountaineers’ senior defender Marie Dickson, giving Golderman a free position opportunity. Golderman snuck the ball into the net, scoring her second goal of the season and putting the Bearcats up 8-6.

The lead, however, wouldn’t last, as Mount St. Mary’s senior attack Kate Kinsella and junior attack Jordan Butler tied up the game at eight apiece, sending it into sudden death overtime.

Junior midfielder Alyssa Sanchez won the draw control for the Bearcats at the start of overtime, but a Binghamton turnover sealed the game, as Mount St. Mary’s sophomore attack Erin Anderson scored the game-winning goal with just five seconds left on the shot clock, and BU lost 9-8.

Offensively, the teams were evenly matched: Binghamton (0-3) had 19 shots on goal and nine draw controls, while Mount St. Mary’s (3-0) had 20 shots on goal and 10 draw controls. Defensively, however, BU outplayed the Mountaineers. The Bearcats had 21 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers compared to Mount St. Mary’s 10 ground balls and five caused turnovers.

“For us, it was about everybody doing their part and playing cohesively [with] lots of communication,” said Binghamton head coach Stephanie Allen. “They could trust in their teammates and make decisions without hesitation, so I’m really just proud of that unit and what they were able to do out there collectively.”

Leading the team defensively were junior defender Brianna Distler, who had three ground balls and three caused turnovers, and Sanchez, who had four ground balls and two caused turnovers.

Sanchez was also a huge contributor for the Bearcats offensively, as she led the team with two goals. Junior attack Paige Volkmann scored her fifth goal of the season in the first half; she leads the team in that category thus far in the season. Other goal scorers included senior attack Olivia Batista, sophomore attack Emily Masera, senior defender Alissa Franze, Golderman and freshman midfielder Isabella Meli.

For Mount St. Mary’s, Butler, Kinsella and junior attack Alayna Pagnotta led the team with two goals each, and the team had three goals with five seconds or less on the shot clock.

The two freshman scorers for Binghamton, Golderman and Meli, each have two goals this season. Allen said she is proud of the way the two have been playing.

“[Golderman and Meli] have been put in a situation where they’ve got to step up and kind of rise to the occasion,” Allen said. “They weren’t expected to fill as big a role as they’ve had to, but we’ve had some players that have been lost in the midfield unit-wise, so they’ve had to fill some big shoes. What I love about them most is their composure and their competitiveness. With this being their first couple of Division I games, they aren’t afraid to be out there.”

Early in the second half, starting junior midfielder Kelly Quinn had to leave the game due to injury. She had one ground ball, one caused turnover and one draw control before leaving the field.

“I think we just tried to rally around the fact that everybody had to step up,” Allen said. “We weren’t going to get as many breaks, so you had to take your rest going back to the draw and in the moments where you have the ball and can dictate tempo. It was tough losing her midway through, but I thought our girls really rallied and wanted to compete for that absence.”

Despite the loss, the Bearcats are ready to take on Lafayette College on Wednesday, Feb. 26. First draw control is set for 6 p.m. at Metzgar Fields Athletic Complex in Easton, Pennsylvania.