After tying 2-2 against Maine last Sunday, the Binghamton women’s soccer team defeated NJIT 2-0 on Thursday night in Newark, New Jersey. In its final America East (AE) regular season matchup, Binghamton consistently attacked the Highlanders with strategic movement of the ball. After taking an early one-goal lead in the first half, the Bearcats added an insurance goal, tacking on another goal in the second half en route to a 2-0 victory over NJIT. Not only did BU earn a victory, but it also secured its second consecutive regular season title and the No.1 seed in the AE tournament.

“Overall we were very pleased with the performance Thursday evening at NJIT,” said Binghamton head coach Neel Bhattacharjee. “We knew going into it no matter what — that a win and three points were going to secure the regular season title and postseason home-field advantage.”

NJIT (7-6-5, 3-4-1 AE) was able to get two shots in at the start of the game, but it was only a matter of time before Binghamton (6-4-6, 5-0-3 AE) gained control of the ball and essentially maintained possession for the rest of the half. In the 18th minute, graduate student defender Grace Vittoria got the ball out of the corner and made a cross to senior midfielder Molly McClelland who was able to get her foot on the ball. Eventually, McClelland attempted a shot for the Bearcats and found the back of the net, putting the Bearcats up 1-0 over the Highlanders.

After this point, things went back and forth as both teams were unable to capitalize on their opportunities. Going into halftime, Binghamton found itself up 1-0. The Highlanders tried to make a comeback in the second half, tallying seven total shots, however, most of the attempts were results of aimless kicks. In the few times when NJIT was able to get on the offense, junior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Williams was ready to stop them in their tracks, totaling six saves throughout the match.

“Overall it was a strong defensive performance to keep the clean sheet,” Bhattacharjee said. “Our best part of the game was our possession and how we kept the ball.“

The Bearcats had a comfortable rhythm and were playing in unison, earning 10 shots in the second half and never allowing the Highlanders to get the upper hand. Between the efforts of freshman forward Paige Luke and senior defender Lexi Vegoda, along with the senior midfielder Victoria McKnight and graduate student midfielder Olivia McKnight, Binghamton’s offense was able to capture a lead while also keeping NJIT off the board. Toward the end of the second half, in the 80th minute, Luke was able to serve the ball right to O. McKnight who scored the Bearcats’ second and final goal of the match.

“We scored two nice goals, the first from [Vittoria] for a quality finish by [McClelland],” Bhattacharjee said. “Then later in the second half got the insurance goal with another service from [Vittoria] flicked on by [Luke], and then a composed finish by [McKnight].

Binghamton continued to keep the Highlanders off the board and when the final whistle sounded, BU secured a 2-0 victory over NJIT. With the win, Binghamton captured the AE regular season title for the second consecutive year and will be the No.1 seed, earning home-field advantage throughout the AE tournament.

“We are feeling confident going into the semifinal as we await Monday’s winner between [NJIT] and [UMass Lowell],” Bhattacharjee said. “Either one will be a good opponent and it’s typically tough to beat an opponent a second time. But if we keep our quality of play and the team continues to feel and show good vibes we know we can have another strong showing in front of our home fans on Thursday night.”

The Bearcats will begin preparing for the AE Semifinals on Nov. 2. Kickoff is set for 6:07 pm at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York where they will face either No. 4 UMass Lowell or No. 5 NJIT.