Following a controversial goal in the 13th minute of Saturday’s match at New Hampshire, the Binghamton men’s soccer team fell into an early hole and ultimately lost, 2-0.
The Bearcats (3-9-5, 1-2-3 America East) fell behind the Wildcats (11-5-0, 4-2-0 AE) when a ball bounced back off the crossbar and freshman midfielder Gunnar Ericsson deposited the rebound in the net.
Senior midfielder Ugochukwu Uche took the initial shot, which bounced straight down then backward after hitting the crossbar. Since this was not ruled a goal, BU head coach Paul Marco said the referees should have whistled Ericsson for offsides.
“[The call] was difficult to take because prior to that, we probably had the best shot of the game and we had missed,” Marco said. “Shortly thereafter is when they got that goal. At that point in the game it was quite disappointing.”
The Wildcats put the game further out of reach in the 17th minute when senior back Robbie Hughes fouled a New Hampshire player in the box that set up a penalty kick. A ball off the foot of junior forward Matt McCoy had taken an unexpected bounce off the turf, and Hughes fouled the New Hampshire player while trying to make a play on it. The shot was taken by sophomore back/midfielder Lukas Goerigk and gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.
“It was a penalty,” Marco said. “I would have been disappointed if we weren’t given it if that had happened to us … But at the same [time] I get a sense of what Robbie was thinking.”
After UNH’s first goal, Marco said that the Bearcats were more content to possess the ball without pushing for an attack.
“I didn’t think our guys really had a thirst for scoring a goal and winning the game,” Marco added.
Despite surrendering two goals — one of which was controversial, the other a penalty kick — sophomore goalkeeper Stefano Frantellizzi had 10 saves on the day. He currently has 100 on the season, which is good for third in the nation.
Of the eight shots the Bearcats managed, only three were on target. Junior forward Steven Celeste, junior midfielder Ben Nicholson and junior back Alan Duff each contributed a shot on goal.
With Albany on slate for the season finale, the Bearcats can clinch a playoff berth with a win. They stand in sixth place, and if they lose, they could still earn the No. 6 seed if Stony Brook and UMass Lowell don’t win.
“I think this is why we play,” Marco said. “I mean we’re playing for postseason now … our body of work comes to a culmination this Wednesday night.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Bearcats Sports Complex.