The on-the-road saga takes a sharper turn for the Binghamton University men’s soccer team as it gets ready to play in the Nike/TLC Plumbing and Utilities Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. There the Bearcats plan to face off against Gonzaga University and University of California at Davis.
Eric Jackson/Staff Photographer
“These games will not be any different,” said Binghamton men’s soccer head coach Paul Marco. “It’s just another match that we are focusing on. These are some good teams.”
The Bearcats’ first test in the Southwest starts on Friday against Gonzaga. This season, the Bulldogs come in to face Binghamton with a 3-1-2 record, having played against teams like Ohio State University, Penn State, Oregon State University and most recently the University of Detriot Mercy Titans, whom they defeated 4-0.
Gonzaga brings with it with a formidable defense led by 2008 West Coast Conference Defender of the Year Nick Barclay. Barclay, a senior, helped the Bulldogs hold down opponents to one goal or less in 10 of their 19 matches last season. Gonzaga returns with nine players who contributed 27 of the 28 goals last season. Senior forward Tye Perdido had the team leading a team-leading eight goals and 19 points, while senior midfielder Ben Funkhouser has had three goals and the team high a team-high six assists. Meanwhile, senior goalie Scott Barnum posted a 1.49 goals against average.
The next challenger, UC Davis, is has been known in for the past few years as to be a fast-growing powerhouse.
“UC Davis will probably be one of our biggest challenges,” Marco said. “In past few years they really have grown into a fantastic program.”
The Aggies made a name for themselves as highly competitive in NCAA Division I. For the last two years UC Davis has been a large competitor at Big West Conference championships and received berths in the NCAA tournament.
In 2008, they won 13 games and became the first Aggie team to host a D-I tournament game. In addition, they were able to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament. This season, UC Davis has a 2-3 overall record. They comes to New Mexico after being defeated by San Jose State University, 4-1. UC Davis has played teams like California State University, Chico; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Washington and University of Central Arkansas this season.
UC Davis has 10 returning players from last season. However, of the team’s scoring last season, more than 60 percent came from departing seniors.
The Bearcats are heading to Albuquerque for the tournament after a two-game loss at the Lafayette Invitational in which they fell to the host team and Villanova University. Kickoff is set at 6 p.m. tomorrow night.