As of late, the Binghamton women’s soccer team has had problems finding the back of the net. But against UMass Lowell on Sunday, the Bearcats (5-6-1, 1-0-1 America East) found no such trouble.
Showcasing its depth while thrashing the River Hawks (4-8, 1-2 AE), 4-0, BU finished its second America East game still undefeated in conference play, allowing its AE competition no goals so far.
“Any win is a good win,” Binghamton head coach Sarah McClellan said. “[We’re] jockeying for a position and so early points in the season are a big deal.”
The Bearcats’ offense exploded in the win, posting its second-highest goal count of the season. Senior midfielder Emily Nuss contributed a notable performance, kicking off the game’s scoring in the fifth minute on a blast from 25 yards out. She scored again in the 79th minute, this time off of a steal in the offensive zone, before finishing her day with an assist in the 85th minute. She fed the ball to freshman midfielder Valerie McNamara off of a corner kick, and McNamara headed it in for the fourth goal.
“I was really proud of Nuss’ performance,” McClellan said. “She played hard and was dominant in the midfield today. The way she struck the ball … she was feeling it. I think she had a great game.”
Junior forward Stephani Church also made a tremendous impact on the game. Church buried the ball into the lower right-hand corner for the team’s second goal in the 25th minute off of a well-executed through ball.
Overall, the attack on goal was in full force and Binghamton seized its opportunities. The Bearcats dominated possession for most of the game and earned seven corner kicks. BU also fixed its shot inaccuracies in the contest, appearing more concentrated on the quality of their shots, rather than the quantity. The Bearcats finished the game with 18 shots and a .22 shooting percentage.
“We’ve been working hard all week on our combination play and holding the ball up top and scoring goals,” McClellan said. “It was just a matter of time for those to go in and we had to stay committed to attacking the goal.”
Senior goalie Gaby Gold and freshman keeper Katie Hatziyianis split time in the net, with the former taking the first half and the latter the second. The Binghamton defense continued to push the ball into the offensive end and as a result, the keepers combined for only three saves while Lowell managed only eight total shots.
“A shutout is a really great success for us,” McClellan said. “I think that we were able to do what we wanted to do on both sides of the ball today. That’s going to be important going forward into some really tough games.”
The Bearcats look ahead to a road trip after their previous stint at home. BU will start its action with a matchup in Connecticut against Hartford, which currently sits in first in AE standings.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Thursday at Al-Marzook Field in Hartford.