Finishing off its final home stand before the start of America East play, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team fell 13-7 to the No. 25-ranked Cornell. The Bearcats struggled early, trailing 8-1 early in the second quarter and despite strong comeback efforts, they were unable to claim the win.

“Tough conditions for both teams out there today, but we’re used to the weather and obviously a little bit of a slow start for us,” said Binghamton head coach Stephanie Allen. “But commend our players for the adjustments that they did make and a strong second and third quarter out there today.”

Cornell (3-2) won the opening draw control, and although Binghamton (2-4) ended its possession, a turnover did the same for the Bearcats and Cornell quickly jumped to an early 1-0 lead. The Big Red won the following draw control and scored once more. Cornell repeated this twice more, building out a 4-0 lead without allowing the Bearcats to gain possession.

The Big Red continued their offensive domination in the first quarter, scoring twice more while holding the Bearcats scoreless on a pair of free-position attempts. Binghamton’s first score of the match came through its third free-position attempt as senior attack Carla Curth hurried her shot in the twine to close out the first quarter.

“[Curth] found opportunity and openings,” Allen said. “I mean [Cornell has] an incredibly efficient zone that they run and she found herself in good spots today. I thought our tempo on offense was good when we had the ball on that end of the field.”

Binghamton’s defensive woes continued in the opening minutes of the second quarter, as Cornell capitalized on a pair of Binghamton turnovers to grow its lead to 8-1. The Bearcats also struggled to light up the scoreboard, missing another consecutive pair of free-position attempts.

“Would have liked for us to finish our free positions a little bit better, we had a lot of opportunities out there,” Allen said. “I thought our ball movement was strong.”

Binghamton’s third free-position attempt in the quarter was the charm once again, as senior attack Emma Blloshmi took charge to get the Bearcats back on the board. Sophomore midfielder Christina Lauro extended the scoring run on the following possession, scooping up a ground ball and burying it in the back of the net to make it 8-3. Cornell, however, found the final score of the half as the Bearcats trailed 9-3.

The Big Red continued with a hot start in the third quarter, scoring twice on their first three possessions while forcing a Bearcat turnover on theirs. After junior goalie Maeve Sayre saved a Cornell free-position shot, the Bearcats charged down the field, where Curth found twine to keep Binghamton alive.

Although the Bearcats lost the ensuing draw control, sophomore midfielder Brooke Bort forced a turnover that allowed Curth to score, cutting their deficit to six. Binghamton continued to search for twine, surviving another woman-down position before Blloshmi drove in the final score of the period to cut its deficit to 11-6.

“Going up against a top-25 program is always a tough slate, but I was proud of our players for persevering today and weathering the elements,” Allen said.

Looking to put the game out of reach, Cornell struck first in the fourth quarter, but the Bearcats were awarded another free-position attempt that Curth buried in the back of the net for her fourth goal of the day.

However, the Big Red scored on their following possession. The Bearcats’ final three shots were unsuccessful as they were unable to score again, falling to Cornell 13-7.

“We need another win under our belt and would love a little bit more confidence going into UMBC,” Allen said. “But I think we are getting better every single game.”

The Bearcats will compete in their final match before conference play begins on Saturday, March 7 at Robert Morris. First draw control is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Joe Walton Stadium in Moon Township, Pennsylvania.