The Binghamton women’s lacrosse team fell to Vermont 13-8 on Saturday afternoon, as a strong start from the Catamounts proved too much for the Bearcats to overcome despite a competitive push in the second and third quarters.

“Today’s outcome was mostly contributed to our shot conversion and Vermont’s capitalization on our turnovers, especially in the first half,” wrote Binghamton head coach Stephanie Allen. “We did a good job of closing that margin in the third quarter and then they were able to open it back up in the fourth.”

Vermont (7-6, 3-1 AE) came out aggressively to open the first quarter, controlling possession early and striking first to take a 1-0 lead. The Catamounts continued to pressure the defense from Binghamton (5-8, 2-3 AE), circling the net and eventually capitalizing again after a reviewed penalty to make it 2-0. Keeping the momentum on their side of the field, Vermont added a third goal to extend the lead to 3-0 within the first half of the opening quarter.

Binghamton struggled to find its rhythm early, but sophomore attack Sienna Fox finally got the Bearcats on the board, cutting the deficit to 3-1. However, Vermont responded quickly, adding two more goals to push the score to 5-1 as Binghamton’s offense showed some early sloppiness. Freshman attack Isabella Sandoval provided a bright spot late in the quarter, scoring her first career goal to make it 5-2 heading into the second quarter.

The Catamounts wasted no time in the second quarter, opening with another goal to stretch their lead to 6-2. Binghamton answered to make it 6-3 off a free-position attempt from senior attack Emma Blloshmi and after several possessions traded between the two teams, junior midfielder Mia Forte found the back of the net to bring the Bearcats within two at 6-4. Vermont added one more before halftime, taking a 7-4 advantage into the break.

The Bearcats came out with renewed energy in the third quarter, striking early to cut the deficit to 7-5 and soon after, Blloshmi continued the push, scoring to bring the Bearcats within one at 7-6. The momentum shift reignited the Bearcats, as they began to find more consistency on both ends of the field. However, Vermont managed to halt the comeback with a goal in the final minute of the third quarter, regaining a two-goal cushion at 8-6.

In the fourth quarter, Vermont once again took control early. The Catamounts opened the period with a goal, making it 9-6, then continued their run with a pair of unanswered scores, extending the lead to 11-6. As the deficit grew, Binghamton’s motor dropped and Vermont capitalized, eventually pushing the score to 12-6.

Despite the scoreline, the Bearcats continued to battle late in the game. Senior attack Carla Curth found the net for the first time on the day to make it 12-7 and Fox added another goal in the final minute to cut the deficit to 12-8. Just 34 seconds later, Vermont capped off the game with a goal in the final seconds, sealing the 13-8 result.

“We will be focused in on our free positions and woman-up opportunities this week from an offensive standpoint as we look ahead at Delaware State,” Allen wrote. “We also need to clean up our ground ball play and decision-making coming out of big stops on our defensive end. We need to value the ball more and be better at capitalizing on our opportunities.”

Binghamton aims to bounce back in its next game as it takes a break from conference play at Delaware State on Sunday, April 19. First draw-control is set for 4 p.m. at the Drass Field in Dover, Delaware.