On paper, it looks like any other conference match. But in reality, the Binghamton University men’s soccer team’s duel with Stony Brook University may end up being the biggest match of the year.
The Bearcats (4-4-4, 2-0-2 America East) can clinch a postseason berth with a win at home against the conference rival Seawolves (7-5-3, 1-1-2 AE), but a loss might cause them to plunge in the conference standings. Bearcats head coach Paul Marco was not hesitant to describe how crucial the upcoming game is.
‘[If] we win the match, we move that much further,’ he said. ‘We secure a playoff berth with a win, so a lot will be on Saturday’s match for us.’
Binghamton will seek to avenge a 1-0 upset victory by Stony Brook in 2009 that handed the Bearcats their first conference loss of that season. It was the first loss the team had suffered to Stony Brook since 2001.
‘I thought that last year, they went on a run and their team was quite good,’ Marco said. ‘I think that the special players that they have were pretty good on the night, and the game is so close and so tight that it just becomes a matter of who’s going to do better in a moment. I thought that the game was pretty even, and they got a goal in their moment. We created enough to get a goal, but we didn’t get a goal.’
Marco foresees a similar type of game as last year’s match.
‘I would just say [last year’s match] was very even, and I expect Saturday’s game to be pretty even. They’re gonna get a couple of chances, we’re gonna have to defend well.’
Binghamton has reached the America East tournament for each of the past seven seasons. Marco has tried to breed a culture of continued success within the program in his years as head coach.
‘I think that each year, the expectation just builds on itself,’ he said. ‘I talk a lot about our potential and our performance, and with most of our teams I think we do a pretty good job of closing the gap between what our potential is and what our actual performance is.’
Marco also pointed to the ability of a team to live up to its potential when discussing upsetting a heavy favorite, which the Bearcats will try to do when they face Boston University on Oct. 27. The Terriers have won every single conference game so far.
‘There may be some teams where their potential is more than ours, but our performance is closer to our full potential than maybe what theirs was on that day, so that’s how we beat teams that are maybe a little more talented than us, teams that are ranked higher than us. I think through the years that our teams have done a pretty good job of that.’
The America East conference standings this year are very close, which, according to Marco, is another reason why the upcoming match is so important. The Bearcats sit in second place in the conference with eight points, but they are one of four teams that are within three points of each other. When every win is worth three points, the conference standings can swing very quickly. A Bearcat’s loss to Stony Brook would allow the Seawolves to leap up the standings into a tie with Binghamton.
But the Bearcats might have to overcome the obstacle without one of their hottest players. Sophomore midfielder Adam Whitehead, who leads the team with eight points (two goals, four assists), had to leave Binghamton’s match at Albany with an injury.
‘Nothing has really changed with him,’ Marco said. ‘At this time I don’t know if we’ll have him back 100 percent for Saturday or not. We’re hopeful, just not sure yet.’
The Bearcats are coming off a 1-1 tie against Albany, extending their unbeaten streak to eight games, and are returning home to a distinct home field advantage. The numbers don’t lie: The Bearcats have compiled a 41-5-16 home record dating back to 2003. They have not been defeated during the regular season at the Bearcats Sports Complex since the facility opened in fall 2007.
‘I think that there are a lot of advantages to being at home,’ Marco said. ‘All coaches are gonna tell you that they want their team to perform no matter where they play, and we’re the same way ‘ But when you come to the Bearcat home, you add into that our fan base, and I’m sure that our fans excite the opponent a little bit. Our fans are fantastic.’
The Bearcats are looking ahead to their showdown with the Seawolves, set to take place 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Bearcats Sports Complex.