As the final whistle sounded on Sunday, the America East (AE) women’s soccer playoff picture became clearer as Binghamton and Maine, the two top teams in AE standings, settled for a 2-2 tie after the Bearcats were able to overcome a 2-1 deficit in the first half. In the process, BU increased its unbeaten streak to eight and remained in first place in the conference.

“It’s nice that we at this point have succeeded in terms of getting the quarterfinal bye and having a home semifinal,” said Binghamton head coach Neel Bhattacharjee. “So I’m disappointed about the goals, but to have the team come back and set ourselves up in a good spot — if you told me at the beginning of the season we’ve got to get a result, we’d be happy with that. So we’re still in good shape.”

After trading chances through the first four minutes, the Black Bears (9-1-5, 4-1-2 AE) found an opening. A foul by Binghamton (5-4-6, 4-0-3 AE) in the third minute gave Maine a free kick in the offensive zone. Instead of sending it toward the Binghamton net, Maine sent the ball to the corner. Eventually, the ball was sent into the Bearcats’ box and to the back of the net as Maine went up 1-0.

After Maine’s goal, Binghamton had several close chances of their own. In the 14th minute, freshman forward Paige Luke was able to break in and receive a pass to get a breakaway opportunity. However, Maine’s goalkeeper was able to keep her shot out of the net. Minutes later, a Bearcat foul would lead to a Maine goal. In the 18th minute, the Bearcats committed a foul and gave Maine a penalty shot. The Black Bears made the most of their opportunity, putting the ball away to go up 2-0.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to deal with a couple of key moments on fouls that led to a couple of set-piece goals,” Bhattacharjee said. “We really have not been giving up set-piece goals throughout the course of the season. So it’s one of those things that ended up being an equalizer tonight. But again, you know, we’ll learn from it. We might have an opportunity to see Maine again, so hopefully if that happens we’ll be able to control a little bit better.”

The teams would continue to trade chances after the second goal. The Bearcats eventually broke through in the 35th minute. After being awarded a corner kick, senior defender Lexi Vegoda skied the ball into the box. The ball then went to graduate student midfielder Olivia McKnight, who shot it over the Black Bears keeper and into the net to make it a 2-1 game going into halftime.

“I think it was critical to get on the board before the half,” McKnight said. “The corner came in. [Vegoda] has great balls every time. A couple of girls fought for the ball. I just took a touch and found the open goal. I knew we needed that goal, everyone was pressing forward and putting their bodies on the line. Getting that goal before the half definitely lifted our spirits and then we knew we could come back and either tie or win.”

The second half started similarly to the first, with both teams trading time on the attack. In the 59th minute, the Bearcats were able to create space deep in the offensive zone. Graduate student defender Grace Vittoria then crossed the ball to Luke close into the Maine box. After receiving the pass, Luke then put the ball past the keeper to tie the game at 2-2.

“[Luke’s] finish was just class,” Bhattacharjee said. “So really, really well done. For us, we’ll take it, you know — like I said, they’re a good defensive team. They’re hard to break down. The fact that we got two goals, especially being down from that 2-0 deficit. You know, we’ll get on a roll from here and get ready for Thursday.”

The game would become increasingly physical as the half went on. Neither team looked to settle for the tie, as both teams had their chances during the match’s final minutes. Ultimately, the score would remain as it was, with the game ending in a 2-2 draw.

Binghamton will hit to road to take on NJIT, in its final regular season matchup, on Thursday, Oct. 26. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Lubetkin Field in Newark, New Jersey.