.The Binghamton men’s lacrosse team kicked off a three-match home stand with a 9-6 loss to Marist. After trailing 7-2 at halftime, the Bearcats did not find the offensive spark needed to complete the comeback, dropping their fourth match of the 2026 campaign.

“It was another disappointing start for us in the first half,” said Binghamton head coach Kevin McKeown. “Thought we were just kind of playing on our heels a little bit and they were kind of dictating the pace of things.”

Although Binghamton (0-4) won the opening face-off and attempted the first shot on goal of the day, Marist (1-2) found twine first, scoring on the following possession. The Bearcats’ woes continued through the opening minutes of the first quarter, as Marist capitalized on turnovers and a failed clear attempt to build out a 4-0 lead.

Senior midfielder Tyler Martini put Binghamton on the board to end the Red Foxes’ run, but the final score of the period went Marist’s way as the Bearcats trailed 5-1.

“They put a little bit of pressure on us and we didn’t handle it well,” McKeown said. “So it’s something we always work on and will continue to work on.”

After surviving a slurry of Red Fox attempts on net to open the second quarter, sophomore defender Aidan McMinn forced a turnover, allowing junior midfielder Andrew Girolamo to net the Bearcats second score of the night. Marist, however, struck right back, maintaining its four-point advantage. The foes continued to search for the next goal, trading shots, but the Red Foxes closed out the period with another score, taking a 7-2 lead into the half.

Marist took advantage of a pair of Bearcat penalties, growing its lead to 8-2 in the opening minutes of the second half. After five minutes of scoreless play, the Bearcats broke through when Martini found Girolamo near the net for his second score of the night. After a Red Fox turnover, Binghamton grew its scorebook to four when sophomore attack Ryan Meyers found twine.

“I just think our defense was playing a lot better,” McKeown said. “The quality of the opportunities wasn’t the same, [graduate student goalkeeper Connor Winters] was able to get a read on the shots more, see the shots more.”

Trailing 8-4 with a quarter left to play, Meyers continued Binghamton’s run with an early score to net a brace, but the Bearcats’ next four shots on goal were saved. Marist then scored one of its own to make it 9-5.

Senior midfielder Will Feldmann responded with a strike soon after to keep the Bearcats in the running, but they did not find twine again. Despite outshooting the Red Foxes 7-0 in the closing minutes of the match, the Bearcats ultimately fell 9-6.

“They won that ground ball battle in the first half and I think we were able to turn that around in the second half,” McKeown said. “And you saw we played better, still disappointed a little bit with how we shot the ball, but it was a good second half.”

Binghamton will continue its home stretch of play on Friday, Feb. 27 against Mercyhurst. Face-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.