Following a string of three straight losses, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team’s offense erupted on Friday afternoon, taking down Saint Francis by a decisive 20-7 mark. The victory was just the second of the season and the first one at home for the Bearcats (2-5).
“It’s good to get the monkey off our back, we’ve had a little bit of a rough patch at home,” said BU head coach Stephanie Allen.
BU came out strong in the first half, finding the back of the net five times in the first eight minutes of the game. Saint Francis (3-2) finally got on the board after 13 minutes of play and followed up with a second tally three minutes later. BU’s response was swift, though, as junior attack Tiffany Ryan scored directly off of the draw to increase BU’s lead to 6-2.
The Red Flash then cut the deficit in half with two goals of their own. A goal from redshirt junior midfielder Jocelyn Penteck and two from senior midfielder Valerie DeNapoli increased BU’s advantage to five. Saint Francis once again scored twice more before BU junior midfielder Jacqueline Kennedy landed a free-position shot to put the score at 10-6 going into halftime.
The first 30 minutes put together by the Bearcats was undoubtedly their best first-half performance of the season. BU recovered 12 of 17 draw controls and outshot the Red Flash, 19-12.
The Bearcats’ dominance in the first half was only the beginning of their excellent play against Saint Francis. They opened the second half even stronger than the first, tallying the first nine tallies while holding Saint Francis to just one goal. Sophomore attack Rebecca Golderman scored three goals during the half to give her a game-high four. In addition to Golderman, multiple other Bearcats helped carry the offense.
“We had eight different goal scorers out there today [and] multiple assists,” Allen said.
One area in which BU has struggled this year has been its defensive play. Heading into Friday’s match, BU has been outscored, 94-85. Even in games where the Bearcats have been able to score in the double-digits, their defense has not been able to keep the offense afloat. On Friday, however, the Bearcats’ defense came through in the second half, holding the Red Flash to just one goal and three shots.
“Our defense really understood, going into the second half, what our game plan was and made some adjustments just as far as off-ball positioning,” Allen said.
The Bearcats are set to host Mount St. Mary’s. Opening draw is scheduled for 3 p.m. from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.