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The Binghamton University men’s soccer team won its conference opener Wednesday night, defeating the University at Albany 2-1 in an overtime thriller at a windy Bearcats Sports Complex. It was a back-and-forth match that was a prime example of how tough the America East conference is going to be this season.

There was a fierce wind whipping through the air for the duration of the match. It had a severe effect on balls in the air, creating a tough task for the attackers.

“Sometimes [the wind] picks up and swirls and keeps the ball in the air a little bit longer,” said Binghamton head coach Paul Marco. “And sometimes it knocks it right down. You just have to try and do your best. I think it favors the defense when the conditions are that way, because it is more difficult to put the ball precisely where you’d like it.”

The Great Danes outshot the Bearcats 4-3 in the first half. Although Albany is winless this season, they were well prepared, according to Marco.

“Albany was ready to play,” Marco said. “I thought they were very relaxed. They were confident, and they had great energy.”

After a scoreless first half, Albany opened the scoring in the 68th minute, when Great Danes sophomore forward Konner McNamara ripped a rebound into the back of the net, scoring his first goal of the season. Following the goal, Marco decided to change the look of the attack.

Marco brought in two forwards off the bench: redshirt freshman Matt Kristek and sophomore Santigui Tounkara. The substitutions paid off quickly. In the 71st minute, the Bearcats leveled the score when Kristek netted a goal off a cross from the right side. The goal was the first of Kristek’s collegiate career. Tounkara and sophomore Ryan Walter each notched assists on the play.

“We gave them a little different look than what we were doing before,” said Marco about the substitutions. “[Kristek and Tounkara] came on and they definitely changed the game and got the ball rolling more towards Albany’s goal, and we were able to get a goal back.”

Marco was pleased to see his players step up their game in the second half.

“The way that we started the match was a little disappointing,” he said. “So any response, whether it was before or after the goal, in the second half I thought we did come out and play better than we did in the first half.”

The game remained tied throughout the rest of the second half and went into sudden-death overtime. Three minutes into overtime, a foul was called against Binghamton in their own box, resulting in a penalty kick for Albany. The Great Danes seemed destined to win for the first time this season, but senior goalkeeper Jason Stenta would not have it that way. Junior midfielder Ian Peach took the penalty kick for Albany, ripping a shot to Stenta’s right side. Stenta dove and made the save to keep the Bearcats alive. It was the second time this season Stenta made a save on a penalty kick.

“The more you practice the right way, the more you’ll improve, and [Stenta] certainly has put his time in when it comes to penalty kicks,” Marco said. “[The situation] still favors the shooter … the goals will still be scored more than saved, but Stenta has proved that he’s difficult to get one past.”

Less than two minutes after the penalty kick, freshman forward Adam Whitehead, who was subbed into the game late in the second half, received a pass from senior Kyle Kucharski off a corner and ripped it into the net, scoring the game-winning goal for the Bearcats. Kucharski is now third in the America East with six assists for the season. The goal was the first of Whitehead’s collegiate career.

Tallying the game-winning goal felt amazing, according to Whitehead.

“Kucharski put a great ball in,” said Whitehead about the scoring play. “The goalkeeper probably had some guys in his vision, and I was able to put it in.”

Binghamton is now 6-4-1 and has won four of its past six games. The Bearcats start out 1-0 in the America East and the conference is shaping up to be extremely competitive, according to Marco. With the expectations the Bearcats have put on themselves, every game is a “must win.”

“All the teams are going to be tight his year,” he said. “I don’t know if a team is just going to run away with it like in years past. Going into the last games, it’s possible everybody is still playing to make [the postseason].”

The Bearcats’ next game is scheduled for Saturday at Stony Brook. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.