Sometimes records are not enough to lift a team onto the highest pedestal of its sport.

Arguably the worst loss suffered by the Binghamton University’s men’s soccer team since their Division I entry came last November at the hands of America East rival, the University of Vermont . The loss in the America East Championship game to the Catamounts at the Bearcats Sports Complex ended a 20-home-game streak and eliminated Binghamton’s chance for an NCAA playoff birth. And the Catamounts did so as the No. 2 seed to Binghamton’s No. 1. And that is only the latest in the Binghamton vs. Vermont soap opera that is a rivalry at its finest. On this Saturday of homecoming weekend, the Bearcats look to retaliate against the Catamounts at the Bearcats Sports Complex in front of not only an expected record crowd, but also in front of a televised audience on the Time Warner Sports Network.

The Bearcats (7-3-3, 2-1-0 AE) will go into Saturday’s game coming off a big win against the America East leading Hartford Hawks. The team is certain the win will carry over into Saturday’s match.

“Every time you win a match, your confidence is up,” head coach Paul Marco said. “Players are more confident in the attack [and] they’re a little harder in defending.”

The Catamounts come to Binghamton with a 6-2-5 overall record and an undefeated AE record of 2-0-1. Vermont’s conference games include a dominating five goals against Stony Brook and a shutout against Maryland, Baltimore County.

“Vermont is a difficult team to prepare for because they are pretty solid everywhere,” Marco said. “They’ve got pretty good back players, their wide backs look pretty confident with the ball, they move the ball forward. This is a game that when we create our opportunities, we have to make sure that we are taking them.”

The Vermont offensive is led by senior midfielder and forward, Jordan Crasilneck, who scored the one and only goal in the 2007 America East Championship game.

“He is very good,” Marco said. “He is a guy that really looks to get after teams, he is a positive influence in their team, [and] he seems to be a guy who puts the ball where they’d like him to put the ball.”

It is obvious that the senior can put the ball where he wants because he has nine assists. Crasilneck also leads the Catamounts in points with 15. However, no matter how good Crasilneck is, Marco isn’t going to focus strictly on him.

“We have to be aware of all their guys, not just him,” Marco said. “They’ve got very good players. They’re like Hartford: they have three or four guys that you have to take care of.”

Marco’s perception of their offensive strength is reinforced by the fact that six different Catamounts have two or more goals this year.

Binghamton’s defense will have to be a strong asset on Saturday to fend off that strong attacking squad. Statistically, the Binghamton defense is up to the task, posting the best defense in the AE conference, allowing 0.59 goals per game and only giving up three goals in the past six games. Meanwhile, Bearcats goalkeeper Jason Stenta has recorded seven shutouts this season and his Binghamton University career shutout record stands at 27.

With an expected record crowd Saturday night, the Binghamton team should be able to really feed off its fans.

“I think [because of the crowd] there will be much more excitement, enthusiasm and energy in the match,” Marco said.

Overall, the two teams’ statistics imply a very evenly-matched game with Vermont leading slightly in goals, assists and points, while Binghamton’s defense has held opponents to fewer goals, assists and points.

“We’re playing against a very good team,” Marco said. “I think our guys will be ready for the match.”

With Saturday’s televised game against Vermont at the BSC during homecoming and with an expected record crowd, Marco and the team would be dying to get a win. But, they aren’t letting emotions change that fact that this is another regular conference game, just like the other seven they play during the season.

“I want to win every game, but it is still a game that is played within the white lines, and our team will have to be good,” Marco said. “It is still a regular season match [and] if you win you move on to the next match ahead of where you want to be.”

Notes: In only a short time, Binghamton and Vermont’s men’s soccer teams have faced off eight times and with as much emotional volatility as any roller coaster — or today’s stock market. Vermont leads the all-time series 3-2-3 since the two teams first met in 2002. Vermont led the series 1-0 when they took the first game in 2002. Through the regular season of 2006 Binghamton evened the score to 1-1-3.

In the 2006 America East conference playoffs, the Bearcats (6-1-1 AE) and the Catamounts (5-1-2) met in the championship game, seeded 1 and 2, respectively. So with the series already tied up going into the finals, both teams were prepared to edge out the other, take the all-time series and have the claim to conference champions. In spite of a hard-fought match, the game was still tied after regulation. It was with only 58 seconds left in the first overtime period that Bearcat and now-captain Barry Neville fired in a penalty kick to edge Binghamton over Vermont to take the title.

In the 2007 season, the Vermont Catamounts came back with a vengeance taking the regular season game 2-0 and tying up the all time series again. History seemed to repeat itself as Binghamton and Vermont once again met up in the finals, seeded 1 and 2, respectively. Binghamton and its fans were riding high into the match holding a 20-home-game streak and a record crowd of 2087 at the Bearcats Sports Complex. The cards just weren’t in place, however, as 19 minutes and 22 seconds into the match BU goalkeeper, Jason Stenta, was screened, forcing the Bearcats’ faithful to watch helplessly as the ball connected with the lower left hand corner of the net. It was only because of a phenomenal game by Vermont goalkeeper, Roger Scully (who was later named tournament MVP), that Vermont held out against a valiant Bearcats struggle in the last five minutes of the second half.

The Bearcats host the Catamounts at the BSC for the first time since the heartbreaking loss Saturday night at 7 p.m. The game will also be televised on channel 62, Time Warner Sports.