Following its first draw of America East play this Tuesday, the Binghamton women’s soccer team maintained its first-place position in the AE with a 2-1 victory over Maine.

A goal late in the first half saw the Bearcats take a 1-0 lead, but a score from the reigning AE champions, Maine, tied the match with nine minutes left in play. Binghamton, however, found the game-winning score just two minutes later, building its undefeated streak to nine.

“Ecstatic with the win, ecstatic to be sitting at 3-0 and one,” said Binghamton head coach Neel Bhattacharjee. “At this point, halfway through the conference season in first place. So it’s a great spot for us to be, but we’ve got to make sure that we keep up that quality over the course of the full 90 minutes.”

Binghamton (8-1-3, 3-0-1 AE) wasted no time working its way down the field, as junior midfielder/forward Paige Luke ripped a shot from the edge of the box in the third minute of the match. Eager to create its own pressure, Maine (2-5-2, 1-1-1 AE) strung together a pair of attacks, each resulting in an unsuccessful shot.

The Bearcats continued to drive balls into the opposing third, as sophomore forward Jahkaya Davis rattled off her first shot of the night in the 10th minute. Another shot courtesy of sophomore forward Alexus Worrell bounced off Maine’s post in the 16th.

“We had the first opening, I’d say 25 minutes,” Bhattacharjee said. “I thought we were on top of our opponent today, hit the post, had some good chances.”

A series of early substitutions revitalized the Black Bears, as they took five shots over 12 minutes and prevented the Bearcats from any attempts. Looking to regain control, BU created a corner kick opportunity in the 40th minute, which was taken by freshman midfielder Sydney Krempasky, who worked her way into the box after her cross. She found the ball once more, burying it in the top left corner for the Bearcat lead.

Neither squad registered a shot for the remainder of the period as the Bearcats went into halftime up a score.

“As a six, I don’t have that many chances up by the goal, so I crossed the ball and I ran in and it fell at my foot, so I was like, ‘Let me just take the shot in,’” Krempasky said. “And luckily it went in, so it was great.”

Looking to find their first score of the game, the Black Bears utilized a higher press and aggressive play down the pitch, but several key moves from Binghamton’s back line prevented Maine from registering any shots in the opening minutes of the half. Seeking an insurance goal, Binghamton continued pressuring the Black Bears’ net, with Luke and Krempasky each rattling off a shot, but both attempts missed wide.

“I thought, for the most part, we were able to limit the danger,” Bhattacharjee said. “There are a couple of transition moments that Maine had that perhaps they got it in midfield, but we were able to take care of it once we got into protecting our defensive third.”

After a fast break that saw Maine progress into Binghamton’s box, the Black Bears forced a corner kick, and on the ensuing delivery, they found a score to tie the game at 1-1. Binghamton, however, refused to surrender any momentum following the score, as Luke found Davis on a deep through ball, and Davis worked her way into the box and blasted a shot past the Black Bears’ goalkeeper.

The Bearcats immediately shifted into a more defensive formation, repeatedly clearing the ball out of play, as they prevented Maine from attempting another shot in the match, holding on for the victory. The Bearcats’ win saw them improve their unbeaten streak to a program-record nine games.

“It definitely says we’re a very gritty team, and we’re always looking to be first place, get the three points,” Davis said.

The Bearcats look to cement a program-first 10-game unbeaten streak when they take on UMass Lowell on Sunday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Cushing Field Complex in Lowell, Massachusetts.