For the third time in four games, the Binghamton women’s soccer team delved into double overtime, this time at Vermont on Thursday. And for the eighth time this season, the Bearcats (6-9-2, 2-3-2 America East) faced an early deficit against their rival.
With both factors present in Burlington, Binghamton accomplished something at Vermont (3-11-2, 1-5-1 AE) that it had yet to do this season: win.
Though they were outshot, 14-9, and trailed twice, the Bearcats were resilient — an apparent trait in their ultimate 3-2 victory.
“They really kept their head up and showed a lot of mental toughness,” BU head coach Sarah McClellan said. “Weather conditions were terrible and we’re on the road, so we just needed to stay committed to the game and do what we came there to do, and I think our team just kept each other up and kept working.”
From the opening whistle, the Catamounts’ offense was dominant. They took their first shot just 18 seconds in and freshman forward Rylee Osgood netted the first goal in the fourth minute. Vermont didn’t let up after their lead, peppering the BU goal with four more consecutive shots between the fifth and 10th minutes.
Though BU didn’t take a shot until the 14th minute, its patience was rewarded when sophomore midfielder Katie O’Neill had her shot deflected off of a Vermont defender into the net, putting Binghamton on the board in the 19th minute. Despite both teams taking three more shots, the game would stayed deadlocked, 1-1, for the remainder of the first half. But Binghamton’s offense held an edge in momentum, taking three of the half’s final four shots.
After the break, McClellan made the decision to keep senior goalkeeper Gaby Gold between the posts for the second half, which hasn’t happened since the game against Cornell on Sept. 21.
“We were just kind of making a decision based on weather conditions,” McClellan said. “She did a fantastic job in the first half, so we thought, ‘Let’s keep it steady.’”
Despite opening the half with a shot three minutes in, Binghamton trailed again as Osgood scored her third goal of the season in the 60th minute. In the 63rd, Osgood attempted a hat trick, but Gold successfully made the save to prevent it.
BU found the equalizer in the 75th, when redshirt freshman forward Jacque Rice beat Vermont’s goalie, who was drawn off the line. The scoring shot was BU’s last in regulation, while UVM only managed one more, pushing Gold to a season-high five saves.
The Bearcats dominated their first overtime period against Vermont, holding a 5-0 shot advantage. But BU’s effort was to no avail as a string of Vermont saves forced a second overtime period.
In that second period, UVM provided a scare off of an early high kick, but it was Binghamton that found the winning edge after O’Neill buried her second goal of the game off of a corner kick from junior midfielder Rebecca Raber.
“I think we really dominated in the overtime,” McClellan said. “We’ve been there for a couple games now, in those tight moments where it’s just critical moments on the clock, and we were knocking on the door in both overtimes from the first whistle.”
Thursday’s win keeps Binghamton’s postseason hopes alive, stationing the team in sixth place one week before the America East Tournament, which only features the top-six seeds.
“The pressure was on,” McClellan said. “For the team to stick with it and have a great comeback win and a win that really mattered, it was something that we needed.”
For the Bearcats’ final regular season game, they will face UMBC. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Sunday in Baltimore, Md.