Against Columbia on Sunday, the Binghamton men’s soccer team showcased its offensive talent early. Sophomore midfielder Harrison Weilbacher moved the ball efficiently upfield, while junior forward Ben Ovetsky created multiple scoring chances.
In the 30th minute, the Lions’ defense fell into disarray after their center back earned a red card, which left them with only 10 players. Redshirt junior Charlie Novoth’s ensuing free kick found the back of the net, giving the Bearcats (3-2-3) an early 1-0 lead.
“I thought we started the match very good,” said BU head coach Paul Marco. “We played quite well in the first part of the game and I thought we were deservedly up at the half.”
But in the second half, Columbia (4-1-0) regrouped. Despite playing with one man fewer, the Lions roared back to defeat the Bearcats, 2-1. A sloppy second half of Binghamton errors opened the door for Columbia, which was undaunted by the red card.
“In soccer, when a player is sent off and you go down a guy, that sometimes inspires a team,” Marco said. “They cover ground a little more, they have a little more bounce in their step and they’re a little more disciplined. And I think that’s what happened with Columbia.”
Two weeks ago at Manhattan, the Bearcats lost senior forward Alex Varkatzas, a key starter, to a season-ending injury. Since then, their bad luck hasn’t subsided. Senior forward Logan Roberts, sophomore forward Nikos Psarras and sophomore midfielder Florian Orth were all forced to sit out with injuries. The Bearcats’ lineup that returned to New York City to face Columbia was exceedingly young, featuring only one senior.
“We have five seniors on the team and only one made the trip,” Marco said. “It’s already a very young team before you add the injuries.”
Down 1-0, Columbia tied the game eight minutes into the second half when sophomore midfielder Francisco Agrest drilled a shot from just outside the penalty area past Binghamton redshirt freshman goalkeeper Alejandro Cubillo.
In the 82nd minute, Columbia took the lead. Junior forward Arthur Bosua scored after he broke alone into the box and outsmarted Binghamton’s back line.
“Their second goal, I’m very disappointed in,” Marco said. “The ball was played in the box and our center back should have cleared it. He let the ball go by him and their striker was right there. It’s just something that could’ve been avoided completely.”
After Columbia’s second goal, Binghamton controlled the ball offensively. In hopes of a comeback, the Bearcats tallied five shots in the final eight minutes of the game while Columbia had just one. Despite near misses from sophomore forward Isaiah Barrett, BU failed to force extra time.
“We made an effort to get the goals back, but their goalkeeper made two terrific saves,” Marco said. “More than anything, I think we just ran out of time. If we had a little bit more time, I think we could’ve gotten the goals back.”
Despite the outcome, Binghamton outshot Columbia, 15-12, including a 9-5 shot advantage in the second half. Even with the shot disparity against Columbia, Marco hopes to address the Bearcats’ second-half faults before their next game.
“The guys didn’t play with enough urgency throughout the second half, and that’s something we’ll address in practice this week,” Marco said.
Binghamton is set to return to the field on Saturday against Buffalo. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. from the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.