For the second time this season, the fate of the Binghamton men’s soccer team’s game fell to chance. UMBC senior midfielder Mamadou Kansaye converted on a penalty kick awarded on a handball in the box, sealing his team’s 1-0 victory over the Bearcats (4-12-0, 2-3-0 America East) on Wednesday night in Baltimore, Md.

The decisive goal came in the 32nd minute, and the Retrievers (8-5-3, 4-0-1 America East) clung to the score through the remainder of the game. The hosts outshot Binghamton, 26-12, but the BU defense remained staunch to keep the margin slim. Sophomore keeper Robert Moewes recorded seven saves in the process, including preventing three shots in the span of nine seconds in the 65th minute.

This game marks the second of the season that the Bearcats lost by way of a penalty kick. Against Vermont, they conceded a penalty in the 108th minute in a 1-0 overtime shutout.

The Bearcats have struggled to score goals all season. In the past four games, the team has been shut out in three. Of the 16 games BU has played so far this season, it has failed to convert even one goal in 10 of them.

Against UMBC, senior forward Steven Celeste led BU with five shots. He saw what may have been his best chance in the 26th, when he put a header on goal that was collected by the keeper. Graduate student midfielder Tommy Moon chipped in an additional three shots and junior midfielder Luca Bottoni contributed two. Senior midfielder Pascal Trappe and freshman defender Christian Dam rounded out the Bearcats’ 12 shots with one apiece.

Since starting 2-0 in AE play, Binghamton has lost three straight conference matches and four straight games overall. On the defensive end, Binghamton has remained stingy. The Bearcats have only allowed opponents to score more than one goal three times in 2014.

Through their win, the Retrievers successfully defended their number one standing in the conference. The Bearcats, on the other hand, sit in fifth in the AE, just above Stony Brook. The Seawolves (4-11-1, 2-3-0 AE), who are set to face off against the Bearcats on Saturday, can secure fifth and bump BU to sixth with a win. Saturday’s matchup will then be pivotal in determining Binghamton’s standing in the conference and subsequently its postseason potential, as only the top six teams earn berths to the conference tournament.

Like Binghamton, the Seawolves have been shut out often: They have gone scoreless through nine of their 16 games so far. However, Stony Brook has shown a proclivity to score goals in bunches, putting up at least three goals in three of their four wins in 2014.

Kick off against Stony Brook is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at the Bearcats Sports Complex.