The lights were bright on the field Wednesday night, but the Bearcats exited the field appearing disappointed against Hofstra in their last nonconference match of the season. The Pride took the win, 2-1, in a disheartening loss.
“They scored a couple of good goals early and I felt we didn’t really start the game well,” said BU head coach Paul Marco. “Once the game settled in, I thought we were quite good. We were very good in the second half — we just didn’t get enough to show for it. I was disappointed in the outcome of the game and felt like we should’ve gotten more from the game tonight.”
Binghamton began the game on the defensive end, as Hofstra’s offense stormed the field. BU was only able to hold off its opponents 6 1/2 minutes before the Pride scored its first goal. Hofstra maintained its dominance and netted another shot just four minutes later, taking an early 2-0 edge.
With just 13 minutes until the end of the half, sophomore forward Haris Brkovic took control of the ball and scored his fifth goal of the season. The Bearcats’ excitement was evident as the team jumped and celebrated together before retaking the field. Their energy was not present for the remainder of the game.
“[Brkovic’s] certainly shown some tremendous growth this year,” Marco said. “I really think that if he figures it out, he’s gonna be a force in conference.”
Brkovic, hot off his breakaway goal, strived, along with the rest of the Bearcats, to make another shot before the end of the half, but their attempts proved futile against the Pride. The teams went into the locker room with the score at 2-1.
Refreshed following halftime, the Bearcats took the field with renewed excitement, maintaining notable hustle against a competitive Hofstra team. BU’s offensive only managed three shots throughout the half, but each was a close chance. Junior midfielder Connor McKnight narrowly missed in the 72nd minute, shooting far wide to bury the shot.
Binghamton was successful in holding Hofstra to zero goals and zero shots on goal in the second half, as the margin remained at 2-1 for the rest of the game. The Pride took home the victory, and the Bearcats suffered their second consecutive loss ahead of their last two America East (AE) Conference games.
“I think the tone of the locker room was disappointment,” Marco said. “We felt like we ran out of time, and then it wasn’t just about tonight’s performance. I hope this team has learned a valuable lesson. We still have a lot to play for, but the lesson we will reflect back on this year when we see the body of work that this team has done, that’s really the feeling a little bit tonight. We’ve played really well and we’ve just let games slip through our fingers.”
Right now, the Bearcats stand at sixth place in the AE standings. In order to move on to the AE Tournament, they cannot afford another loss, as only the top six teams move on to the 2017 tournament. With only two matches left in conference play, against second-place UVM and third-place UAlbany, Binghamton will need to be playing at its best.
“I really enjoy this group of guys, they’re a terrific group to work with,” Marco said. “Their understanding of what it takes to win and be a league team is a work in progress right now, and hopefully we can figure out a little bit more before Saturday because I do think that this team, this year, has still more to do.”
The Bearcats will take the field next in a conference match against the University of Vermont on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Virtue Field in Burlington, Vermont.