If the Binghamton University men’s club soccer team could summarize their weekend, it would be in two words — roller coaster.

Their first game of the year on Saturday against Cornell Mundial resulted in a 0-0 tie. The Bearcats had their chances, but did not capitalize. However, there was a strong defensive effort from the team. Captain Paul Guijarro, Jordan Katz, Matt Powers, Matt Hogan and Andy Kolb all kept the Cornell offense at bay. Goalkeeper Jeff Egan posted his first shutout of the season.

The roller coaster began to ascend in the second game for the Bearcats, as they beat Ithaca by a score of 4-0. The game’s first goal came roughly five minutes into the match when Hogan took a corner kick from the right side of the field. The ball bounced off of an Ithaca defender and into the back of the net.

Binghamton’s second goal came off of a misplayed ball by the Ithaca goalkeeper. Bearcat goalie Elan “E-Fischaaa” Fischer punted the ball down the length of the field. The ball bounced over the opposing goalie’s head and allowed for an easy tap-in from BU forward Chuby Okoye.

Binghamton’s fierce defense continued into the second half and eventually led to a breakout play where sophomore captain Colin McGovern played a brilliant ball past two Ithaca defense men and onto the feet of grad student Rob Lu, who buried the ball past the helpless Ithaca goalie.

But the Bearcats saved the best for last. With roughly 10 minutes to go, McGovern crossed the ball in the air to the center of the field where Okoye headed the ball out of the air and right to senior Colin Coon. Coon used his chest to keep the ball airborne and then volleyed a shot from 20 yards out over the Ithaca goalie and into the back of the net, getting a nice roar from the crowd in the process.

While the scoring certainly helped BU capitalize, there was one individual effort that stood out. Sophomore Craig “Pit Bull” Holub played two unbelievable games with nonstop energy and a ferociousness that would make Kimbo Slice seem like a ballerina.

“Craig is like the Energizer Bunny on crack,” Guijarro said. “He didn’t stop running for either game. He would lose a ball and then two seconds later he would steal it back and make something happen. It was a lot of fun to watch.”

While the BU offense and defense was stellar all day on Saturday, on Sunday the roller coaster plummeted.

The Bearcats’ first game was against Cornell United. BU came out with very little energy — the result was a 4-0 loss. A lackluster midfield combined with an injured defense left the Bearcats up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

The roller coaster continued its descent in the second game, as Binghamton fell to Colgate by a score of 2-0. The tired BU team, which had several players play all four games during the weekend, could not keep up with Colgate in the first half. The second half saw BU come close to scoring several times, but with good goalkeeping and a little luck from the post, the Bearcats were kept off of the scoreboard.

“We definitely aren’t happy with the result,” McGovern said after Sunday’s games. “Cornell was a good team, but they certainly aren’t ‘4-0’ good. Colgate is no different. We were tired and hurt today, but that’s not an excuse. Overall, we were outplayed. We tried some new things this weekend and I feel we will rebound very well in the coming weeks.”

The Bearcats didn’t have the weekend they wanted, but are still headed in the right direction — and with a healthy roster, BU will be ready for the next few games.

-Matt Hogan is a defender on the BU men’s club soccer team.