Redemption — this is the one word to describe what the upcoming season means for the Binghamton University men’s club soccer team.
Last year the Bearcats were 6-0-2 and had the sixth-ranked seed headed into the 26-team Northeast Regional Tournament. After a disappointing opening game, a 1-1 tie to Northeastern University, the Bearcats dropped a must-win game to Drexel University by a score of 2-1.
The BU men played a consolation game against the eighth-seeded UConn team the following day and fell once again by a score of 2-1.
After a heartbreaking weekend, the Bearcats received even worse news: their season was suspended until the fall of 2008 due to the team drinking alcohol at the regional tournament after the first day elimination.
But with new players and new presidents, the team is certainly headed in the right direction.
The team’s new presidents are sophomore Colin McGovern and junior Paul “Bonecrusher” Guijarro. McGovern has nothing but the highest expectations for his team.
“There’s no doubt we’re upset with what happened last year, but that’s the past and this is now,” McGovern said. “We have what looks to be the best roster in club history this season, so the Northeast regional is definitely in our sights. We just have to take it one game at a time.”
The team has a lot of returning talent. The defense will be headed up by Guijarro, but also features the likes of junior Zach Nersinger, and seniors Jordan Katz and Matt Hogan.
The midfield consists of McGovern, sophomore Andrew Birstingl, junior Matthew Powers, seniors Colin Coon, Andy Kolb and Robert Lu.
The forward position starts and ends with senior J.J. Gould. Gould has been the leading scorer for the club for the last two seasons. His unbelievable speed and mind-blowing ball control make him a lethal opponent for any team.
“It’s fun to watch when he gets the balls, because you never know what will happen. Sometimes it looks like the ball is just glued to his feet,” Guijarro said.
The Bearcats are also happy to have two returning goalies. Sophomore Elan Fischer and junior Jeff Egan will be splitting the time in net for BU this season.
Guijarro feels the team is in “prime position” for the upcoming season.
“We have all the right weapons. We even have a few ex-varsity players coming down,” he said. “We were a sixth-seeded team last year and somehow we got even better. I don’t see why we can’t win regionals this year.”
The team is excited for the future, and for good reason. With the past far behind them, the club team will certainly be a force to reckon with on the field this season.
The Bearcats’ first home game is against Colgate University on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 1 p.m., on field No. 9 (the East Gym).
(Full Disclosure: Matt Hogan is a member of BU club soccer)