The Binghamton women’s soccer team took on UMass Lowell on Sunday, falling for its 11th loss of the season as UML (4-10-0, 1-3 America East) earned its first AE win of the season. The game started off slowly for the Bearcats (1-11-1, 0-4 AE) with the the River Hawks taking control from the opening whistle en route to their 3-0 victory.
Lowell got the ball rolling quickly when sophomore forward Shannon Groffie scored the first goal in the third minute of play, which was followed by a second tally off the foot of freshman forward Katelyn Vieira just seven minutes later. With an early head start, the River Hawks held the advantage, promptly holding their pace for the remainder of the match, while BU struggled to match their stride.
“We really struggled in the first half to battle physically and to find a rhythm on the ball,” BU head coach Sarah McClellan said. “Trailing early in the game obviously makes it a tough task on the road to gain momentum back.”
BU trailed 23-10 in shot attempts, laboring to create scoring opportunities and find the back of the net. By the time senior midfielder Katherine Corcoran fired the Bearcats’ first shot in the 25th minute, UML had already managed to take seven of its own.
The second half began with another attempt by Corcoran hoping to put BU on the board, but the shot went wide, keeping the Bearcats at a two-goal deficit.
“I thought we battled much better and were stronger on the ball in the second half, which is something we need to bring this week to our games,” McClellan said.
With eight shots in the second half, the Bearcats stepped up their game, attempting to stage a comeback. Corcoran fired five of Binghamton’s 10 shots in the match, but unfortunately for BU, none of the attempts translated into scoring realities.
“Kat [Corcoran] and [freshman midfielder] Sierra [Barr] helped bring more attack for us,” McClellan said. “We played stronger and defended tighter.”
Despite BU’s increased efforts, UMass Lowell freshman midfielder Maggie Davenport picked up a rebound and netted the final goal of the game in the 61st minute. Corcoran followed up with a third shot attempt, but freshman goalkeeper Julia Schneider fended it off, solidifying the ninth shutout against Binghamton this season.
In a final attempt to break out of a scoreless streak, Barr fired three consecutive shots in the match’s final 40 seconds. But a shot to the crossbar and two saves by Schneider sealed BU’s fate, leaving the Bearcats with a fourth-straight conference loss.
Binghamton is set to return to action against America East rival Stony Brook on Thursday. Kick-off is scheduled at 6 p.m. from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.