No matter how many games you win in a season, the only ones that actually matter are the conference games. They are the key to the playoffs and to a potential NCAA tournament berth. The red hot Binghamton University women’s soccer team is ready to face its rival, the Boston University Terriers.
The Bearcats are riding a three-game win streak after defeating the likes of Niagara University, University at Buffalo and Temple University.
The team has been training hard, according to Binghamton head coach Sarah McClellan.
“In training this week, the intensity has upped,” she said. “Our training sessions have been very hard, very intense and very to the point … I think the message has been sent in training that conference is all about business and you’ve gotta get the job done, and every single game is super important when it comes down to those last weeks of conference play.”
Though the Bearcats are on the win streak, extending the run won’t be so easy. In recent years the Bearcats have fallen short against the Terriers, only winning one out of the past eight matchups.
However, McClellan believes that this Sunday will be different.
“We’re not intimidated by really good teams as we have been in the past,” she said. “Boston is a phenomenal team, you know we highly respect them … but we feel really good about the players that we have on our team. We feel really good about our chances if we go out and compete and put everything out on the field and don’t have any regrets.”
Last week’s announcement naming Jamie Holliday as the America East Rookie of the Week should force the Terriers, as well as the Bearcats’ upcoming opponents, to account for her on the field.
“Teams are going to have to choose who they want to contain,” McClellan said of the team’s numerous offensive weapons.
McClellan is confident that the squad is ready to start conference play.
“We’re good,” McClellan said. “We’re clicking better, there’s better chemistry on the field in terms of the rhythm that we’re playing at. But, saying that, Boston’s quite the test to start off conference [play].”
The Terriers, who are 3-4-2 this season, seem to match up just fine with the Bearcats’ record of 3-3-1, and with Binghamton riding momentum, this might be the game to give Binghamton a winning record for the first time this season.
The Bearcats are scheduled to play Boston at 1 p.m. on Sunday.