Losing is a habit. The Binghamton women’s soccer team learned this adage the hard way this season, dropping 11 consecutive games on its way to the cellar of the America East standings. But winning is a habit, too. Edging UMBC, 1-0, on Thursday night, the Bearcats (3-11-2, 2-4-1, America East) have collected a tie and a pair of shutouts to bolster their AE point total to seven over the last three games.
Now just one point behind the Retrievers (4-10-3, 2-3-2 AE), Binghamton kindled its postseason chances, peaking at the 11th hour with one more AE contest to go.
“If you told us [we’d be in the playoff hunt] in the middle of the season or in the beginning of conference, it wasn’t looking good,” BU head coach Sarah McClellan said. “So for us to have clawed back in there I think is a real testament to the team staying committed to the process and not giving up.”
From the first whistle against UMBC, Binghamton dominated the Retrievers’ backfield, as senior midfielder Katherine Corcoran found the game’s first breakaway shot opportunity in the second minute. Corcoran ticked the shot counter again in the first half in the 19th minute with a shot deflected off of the crossbar. While UMBC found a stride with three shots between the ninth and 18th minutes, Binghamton won the shot battle in the opening period, 8-5.
Opening up the second half, Binghamton continued its possession control with two shots on goal in the first five minutes. Following a shot chance by UMBC, Binghamton followed up with the game’s first, and only, goal in the 57th minute. On the play, freshman forward Julianne Johnston found Corcoran on a cross feed, allowing the latter to finish the effort and put BU up, 1-0.
“Beautiful combination play, excellent finish, couldn’t have placed it any better,” McClellan said of Corcoran’s second goal of the season. She continued, “We had some great opportunities, … so now that we’re starting to get those chances, we’re feeling pretty confident that one’s going to go in.”
For the final 33 minutes of the game, the Retrievers only got two more chances at the Binghamton net, as BU’s backfield kept the ball out of their scoring end. In the net, sophomore goalkeeper Katie Hatziyianis collected her third shutout of the season, picking up a total of six saves on the evening.
“Katie’s been huge all season, and we know she can make some big saves every game for us,” McClellan said. “The key has been that we limit how many times a team is able to get in cause we know she can save us, but we gotta also do the work in front.”
Binghamton is set to close out its regular season on Sunday against Vermont, a must-win matchup if the Bearcats hope to shock the AE with their third-consecutive postseason appearance. But for now, BU has momentum on it’s side — and that just might be the deciding factor.
“We just had to keep staying positive, and then in the end it was just pure hard work,” McClellan said.
BU is set to take on Vermont for its Senior Day on Sunday at 1 p.m. from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.