By Andrew Arnao
Contributing Writer
The Bison men’s soccer team lost 3-1 in their season opener against Binghamton last Friday. In the loss, Luke Joyner ’12 registered the first goal of the season for the Orange and the Blue.
The Bison fell behind early in the first half on a shot that took a favorable bounce off the goalpost for Binghamton and was kicked in for the Bearcats’ first point. The Bison tied the score 1-1 later in the half, but a late goal by Binghamton gave them a lead they would not relinquish.
“We are obviously upset about the loss,” Joyner said. “Binghamton played a very direct and physical style of soccer, and we struggled to get control of the game from the opening whistle.”
Joyner’s excellent header on the throw-in by Mayowa Alli ’14 scored the game-tying goal. As the first half drew to a close, Binghamton scored on a free kick that looked like it might be headed by a member of the Bearcats’ offense, but instead went untouched and appeared to catch Bison goalie Marc Hartmann ’12 off-guard.
After Binghamton scored again in the second half, the Bison appeared to narrow the deficit to one with a goal that Brendan Burgdorf ’13 headed in off a free kick, but an offside call nullified the point. From there, Binghamton was able to run out the clock.
Despite the loss, the Orange and the Blue still finished with a 17-11 shot advantage, and with six fewer fouls than Binghamton. Hartmann and goalie Tommy Caso ’12 each played one half, with Hartmann recording one save and Caso recording three. Offensively, Andrew Powell ’12 led the team with four shots on goal.
“As a team we have very high expectations for what we can achieve this season,” said Joyner. “The guys are hungry to get back out on the game field to prove what we are capable of.”
After another week of practice, the Bison hope to do just that when they face Saint Francis at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.