The Binghamton women’s soccer team earned a 3-0 win last Thursday evening when they returned home to play Le Moyne. The Bearcats outshot the Dolphins 25-3 in the match to secure their first win of the season.

“It’s a good feeling you know to get that first win,” said Binghamton head coach Neel Bhattacharjee. “We’ve really tested ourselves with a very ambitious schedule up to this point, so you know we wanted to see some good things.”

Possession was controlled by Binghamton (1-3-1) for the first few minutes of the contest. When the Dolphins (1-3-0) had their first chance to go on the offense, BU was able to hold them off and quickly regain possession of the ball. The first goal came 10 minutes into the game from graduate midfielder Olivia McKnight which was assisted by senior midfielder Victoria McKnight and junior forward Hannah Mimas. The ball crossed into the middle from Mimas where it was grabbed by V. McKnight who deflected the ball toward the far post and O. McKnight headed it into the net.

“It’s good for us to get that first goal,” Bhattacharjee said. “Especially to get it early in the first half and then follow up with a couple more in the second half. You know, maybe potentially could have one or two more in terms of shots that hit off the crossbar [and] the post.”

The Bearcats shot at the net three more times in 10 minutes, all of which were saved by the Dolphins’ keeper. Le Moyne was able to get the ball away from their net and attempt a shot, but it went out right. For the majority of the first half, the Bearcats held possession of the ball and kept it out of their zone and away from the net. BU created many opportunities, attempting several shots, a few of which made it on the net but were stopped by the keeper. Binghamton entered the half with a 1-0 advantage, outshooting the Dolphins 11-1.

“We challenged the goalkeeper and got some quality chances,” Bhattacharjee said. “And it was nice to get the shutout, so we’ll take it. It’s like I said, a good way to get that first win and hopefully, we carry some of this momentum as we travel on the road to play a tough Wagner side.”

In the second half, the ball continued to go back and forth. Le Moyne only got two shots off on goal in the second half and both shots were stopped by junior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Williams.

BU continued to put pressure on the net. In the 62nd minute, sophomore forward Lauren Clark with an assist by senior defense Lexi Vegoda gave BU a 2-0 lead. Nine minutes later, BU solidified its win when Vegoda took a penalty kick in the goalie box and scored. The Bearcats boasted a three-goal advantage with just 20 minutes left in the game, which they would hold onto to earn their first win of the year.

“It’s important to play well, but you know as we’re getting ready for conference play now, it’s not just about playing well,” Bhattacharjee said. “It’s being able to put goals away and getting that W, so it’s [a] good feeling and hopefully one that continues to happen going forward.”