In an attempt to bring home a win after a string of recent losses, the Binghamton women’s soccer team headed into its third consecutive, two-game weekend hungry for a victory. But on the road against Buffalo and Temple, Binghamton’s offensive woes continued. The Bearcats (1-5-1) were outscored, 7-1, and outshot, 47-18.
On Friday against the Bulls (3-3-1), BU’s defense was tested early with six shots by Buffalo in the match’s opening 15 minutes. After a pair of Binghamton shots, UB drew first blood with a goal from sophomore midfielder Julia Benati in the 25th minute. For the remainder of the half, BU continued to pepper the Buffalo net with shot attempts, but with none making it into the goal, Binghamton settled for a 1-0 deficit heading into halftime.
In the second 45, the Bulls dominated offensively, outshooting the Bearcats, 14-3. Goals by redshirt freshman Carissima Cutrona and senior forward N’Dea Johnson in the 57th and 77th minute, respectively, ended any hopes for a BU comeback. Falling, 3-0, in its first match of the weekend, Binghamton looked to Temple for a chance at redemption.
Despite BU senior midfielder Katherine Corcoran firing the match’s opening shot, the Owls controlled the first half on Sunday in Philadelphia. Propelled by an 11-2 shot advantage in the first stanza, Temple (6-2) found the back of the net in the 10th and 32nd minute, pacing the offensively stagnant Bearcats by a score of 2-0 at half.
“I thought Temple really did play a good game in the first half and we struggled a little bit to find our rhythm,” BU head coach Sarah McClellan said. “They capitalized on some of our mistakes,”
Following its tough first half, Binghamton fought back in the second, with freshman forward Julianne Johnston putting her team on the board in the 61st minute. The Bearcats additionally managed to play a more even game in the second half, cutting the shot differential to 10-8 in Temple’s favor for the period.
“The team really responded excellent in the second half to get a lot better possession, sharper play, and we were dangerous in our attack,” McClellan said. “We were able to make it a game at 2-1.”
Not only did BU fight harder for the ball, but they also made sure to change things up at midfield, using all assets in their arsenal, with both new and veteran players contributing to their attack.
“We’re rotating five or six players in the midfield and they’re all making a lot of clean strides and progress,” McClellan said. “I think it’ll be a strong layer for us as we head into conference. With a mix of some of our older guys and our younger guys, the midfield is looking really good.”
But Temple’s attack continued to be too much for Binghamton to handle. Three minutes after Johnston’s goal, the Owls pushed their lead back to two by way of a goal from sophomore midfielder Elana Falcone. Temple put away its final goal of the day in the 76th minute after a scored penalty kick as BU’s win-less skid hit six with the 4-1 decision.
On the defensive end, sophomore goalkeeper Katie Hatziyianis kept the Owl offense at bay with five saves, while sophomore goalkeeper Haley Downin fended off one shot over the last nine minutes of play. With only two matches remaining before the America East Conference, the Bearcats are looking to next weekend to sharpen up their game against another set of tough, non-conference opponents in Fairleigh Dickinson and Cornell.
“We just want to continue to build on our attacking chances, on being aggressive in going to goal and continuing to sure up some of the mistakes we’ve been making,” McClellan said. “I think the team is really working hard and wanting to put a full game together.”
The Bearcats are set to face off against Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday at 7 p.m. at University Stadium in Teaneck, New Jersey.