Binghamton (0-2-2) hosted the Colgate Raiders (1-3-1) in a nonconference matchup on Wednesday, Sept. 2. The physical and defensive contest finished with a double-sided clean sheet.

The Bearcats started off the match strong in the first 10 minutes with the majority of possession. They took two early shots that set the tone, with one of them being on target.

It didn’t take very long for the Raiders to respond to the Bearcats’ early momentum to create multiple scoring opportunities of their own. Senior goalkeeper Natan Jemaneh Admassu made two important back-to-back saves early in the 11th minute.

“I thought they were pretty outstanding,” Head Coach Tommy Moon said when asked about his team’s defensive performance. “I thought Natan in the goal and the back four did a great job of being secure at the back. Colgate had a couple of really good chances in the beginning of the game, but then other than that I thought we were pretty solid.”

Colgate would go on to control the rest of the possession on their half of the field, putting the Bearcats on edge. Yet the defense allowed few significant scoring chances for the Raiders.

They ended the half with two corner kicks and five shots, with three of those on goal. Binghamton’s offense had a sluggish end to the first half with no corner kicks and zero shots in the last half hour. The first half was a physical one as well, with 13 total fouls and only one yellow card given to the Bearcats.

The Raiders were the sharper team going into the second half, dominating the field and forcing Admassu to make many heads-up plays to keep the Raiders off the score sheet.

Binghamton finished the game with 12 fouls to Colgate’s three, but it was their physicality that helped maintain possession, eventually giving them multiple scoring opportunities. One forced Colgate freshman goalkeeper Christian Kellogg to make two highlight saves to keep the Bearcats off the scoreboard.

It was an overall positive showing for a Bearcats offense that has only scored in one of their four total games played this season, demonstrating in this match that the team is more than capable of tallying up goals.

“We’re getting some really good looks on goal, and unfortunately the ball isn’t going in the back of the net,” said Moon. “So, we’ll continue to work in training on finishing and our final product in the final third, and I’m not concerned about getting goals. The goals will come.”

With five minutes left in the match, Colgate was close to having a one-on-one opportunity with the goalkeeper, but was taken down by graduate midfielder Gaven Egan, who ultimately was given a red card. This became the game-saving play for the Bearcats, preventing a potential easy goal which could have handed Binghamton a loss, and a fitting end to a game that saw almost thirty fouls and two yellow cards in total to each team.

It was the Raiders who had more opportunities on goal and had a 55-45 overall edge in possession. They had six corner kicks to Binghamton’s one and outshot the Bearcats 13-10.

Admassu looked like the best player on the field that night, finishing with four saves and stellar heads-up plays in dangerous moments.

“I can’t really take any credit,” said Admassu. “It’s just training, you know. Tommy’s the best coach ever, so he helped me, gives me confidence before a game, so shoutout everybody.”

The Bearcats will be back in action next at 6:07 p.m. Sept. 5 on Saturday, against Central Connecticut State at the Bearcats Sports Complex.