By Ajan Caneda
Writer

Katelyn Miller ’14 posted four goals last Saturday to power the women’s lacrosse team to a 16-12 victory at Binghamton. The win ended a four-game losing streak for the Bison.

Along with tough defense, the Orange and Blue had a balanced offense that allowed them to pull off another come-from-behind win.

“Everyone came into the game fired up and played to win,” Molly Ford ’14 said. “We implemented a new sub rotation that allowed us to get more speed and aggression from defensive-minded players on our rides and clears and attack-minded players into the offense.”

After Binghamton scored two goals in the opening minutes of the game, Ford scored a goal off an assist from Arriana Sajjad ’15. The Bison got off to a slow start, though, as the Bearcats grabbed an early 5-1 lead. Sajjad then nailed two goals as part of a 3-0 run, and by halftime, the game was tied at 7-7.

Binghamton committed 13 fouls in the first half, while the Bison forced eight turnovers that gave them momentum going into the second half.

Midfielder Sophie Kleinert ’14 scored an unassisted goal five minutes into the second half, giving the Orange and Blue their first lead of the game. Subsequent goals by Ryan Wenk ’13 and Sajjad extended the lead to three.

Binghamton would not go away as two Bearcat goals narrowed the deficit to one. Following a goal by Miller, two more Bearcats scored to knot the game at 11-11. Both teams went scoreless for nearly seven minutes before midfielder Blair McDonald ’15 capitalized on a free position shot to break the tie. The Bison didn’t keep the lead for long as the Bearcats evened the score to 12-12 with 8:57 left in the game. But Miller nailed two goals that sparked a 4-0 Bison run to seal the victory.

“We learned from the Lafayette game how important clock management was in the end of the game, especially when the game was tied,” Miller said. “You could see by watching that everyone on the field really wanted the win and left everything on the field to the last second, and it clearly paid off.”

Sajjad continued her offensive tear, scoring three goals and adding one assist. Emily Kookogey ’15, Ford, and McDonald had two goals each. Goalie Caroline O’Neill ’15 made key defensive stops down the stretch and finished with seven saves.

The Bison will be looking to pick up their first conference victory as they return home to face Colgate on Saturday at 1 p.m.

“We are focused on getting out first Patriot League win against Colgate. We need to carry our fire and confidence from Saturday over into that game,” Ford said.