Coming off a nail-biting victory over Vermont in the America East quarterfinals last weekend that went down to penalty kicks, the Binghamton women’s soccer team’s season came to an end on Thursday night at the hands of the UNH Wildcats in a 3-1 semifinals loss. While Binghamton struck first with an early goal, UNH’s pressure across the pitch proved too much for the Bearcats to overcome.

“Individually, we just didn’t match that intensity or deal with the pressure in terms of what we did at the ball,” said Binghamton head coach Neel Bhattacharjee. “To UNH’s credit, they got a goal to get back into the game, and then we were really hoping that we could get to halftime at 1-1. But when they scored that second goal right with a minute-and-a-half left before halftime, that really was a crushing blow.”

While the hosting Wildcats (12-4-1, 6-1-0 AE) got the first look at the goal in minute one, BU (7-6-5, 4-2-2 AE) got a stop and swung the attacking momentum in its direction. Senior forward Hannah Mimas and junior forward Lauren Clark both got openings in the UNH third during the opening stretch, but both failed to get shots off against the tough Wildcat backline. In minute 10, senior midfielder Isabella Martillo connected with senior forward Mackenzie Ryder on a cross, who punched in the game’s first score to make it 1-0.

“One thing we talk about is we want to be able to take advantage of our set-piece opportunities,” Bhattacharjee said. “If it’s direct or even on the second phase of the set piece where we have numbers in the box. That was certainly the case with the goal.”

Not long after the Bearcats’ goal, UNH upped its aggressiveness on the attack. Minutes 19 and 20 saw consecutive shots from the Wildcats, but BU cleared both. The Wildcats’ pressure ended up being too much for BU. A lapse in the Binghamton backline in minute 32 would create an open cross for UNH that senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Williams could not get a glove on and the game was knotted at 1-1. While BU would briefly regain momentum in UNH’s third in minute 37, the game script remained firmly in the Wildcats’ control with a second goal in the 44th minute, giving the hosts a 2-1 advantage going into the break.

“UNH did well in terms of just mixing things,” Bhattacharjee said. “Sometimes they played through the midfield when they had opportunities. Sometimes they would be able to get it back on the flank as well which is what led to the first goal. I thought they responded well in terms of being a goal down and it caught us on the back on our heels.”

After sophomore defender Sophia Garofalo blocked a dangerous UNH look in minute 50 to keep it 2-1, Binghamton built its attacking momentum in the second half. Minute 55 saw Binghamton secure its first corner kick of the game, but it would be cleared by the Wildcats. Then, Ryder got BU’s best look since the first in the 59th minute with a boot on an errant UNH header, but the ball went wide right. Ultimately, UNH neutralized the Bearcats the rest of the way, with a final goal off a cross in minute 66 proving to be the dagger that cemented a season-ending 3-1 loss for the Bearcats.

“Whenever we did win the ball back, unfortunately, we weren’t able to keep it,” Bhattacharjee said. “We hoped our forwards could have held the ball a little bit more for us, but UNH was able to up their pressure and we weren’t necessarily able to keep it in terms of our possession.”

BU closes the 2024 campaign with its sixth straight season at or above .500. Several players brought home AE honors for the Bearcats, headlined by first-team all-conference honors for Mimas and Garofalo. The most trophies earned by a Bearcat came from freshman midfielder Anna Buckwalter — netting AE Rookie of the Year, second-team all-conference and joining freshman forward Jahkaya Davis on the AE all-rookie team. In a year that was expected to be a rebuild for the program, Bhattacharjee expressed pride in the breakouts throughout his roster.

“I think the outside voices might have been, ‘Hey, look at how many people graduated and stars lost,’ all of that,” Bhattacharjee said. “But what I’m really proud of is how people stepped up into their roles. [Ryder] didn’t really play much last year and she had seven goals. [Mimas] wasn’t able to have a finished goal for us last year, and she was at about seven goals and eight assists. It’s terrific to see how new faces, new personnel, stepped into their roles and made us a competitive force. So I’m really pleased with that.”